England’s Chief Medical Officer has warned that too many non-experts are shaping the debate around a proposed clinical trial of puberty blockers for children. Speaking at a health summit, Chris Whitty said “far too many people” outside medicine and science had “thrown far too many arguments” into the discussion. He urged the conversation to be guided by evidence rather than political or public pressure. The clinical trial, led by researchers at King’s College London, was launched in late 2025 following recommendations from the Cass Review, which concluded that existing research on puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria was limited. However, the trial was paused before recruitment began after concerns were raised about potential long-term biological risks. The UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is now reviewing the study and has suggested raising the minimum participant age from 10 to 14. The proposed research has drawn ...