SNP government finally accepts Cass review findings

Well, well, well. After all of the SNP’s sniping at Dr Hilary Cass’s review into UK gender clinics, it transpires that the Scottish government has – finally – accepted the findings of a gender clinic report in full. The revelation comes months after Cass found ‘remarkably weak evidence’ to support gender treatments for children and concluded that the ‘toxicity’ of the gender debate meant professionals were ‘afraid’ to openly discuss their views. Oh dear…

After much ado, the SNP government has now said it will implement a gender treatment review’s recommendations, with public health minister Jenni Minto confirming that a second report – entitled ‘The Cass Review: Implications for Scotland’ – has been accepted. It means that young people in Scotland looking for gender services will have to be referred to specialists by doctors rather than being able to self-refer. The development also means that children looking for gender treatment will be looked after by paediatricians as opposed to receiving care in an ‘adult sexual health setting’.