Keira Bell Appeal

Keira's work is done. What she has achieved has had an impact around the world. The 'Bell case' is frequently mentioned in reports from other countries reviewing their practice over puberty blockers. Amazing outcome.

Yes, they say “Children can always decide their own treatments for everything and anything because Gillick said so.”

Er, no. Not remotely.

A lot of the posts and comments I've seen on this seem to suggest that people believe that Gillick competence is something that applies across the board to all minors. Let a different age of consent for certain things. The distinction you are making would be totally lost on anyone thinking that way.

“A Victory for Gillick Competence”

What a load of nonsense. It’s been about who decides that a child IS Gillick competent: the clinic that has been ideologicallly captured into believing the no-evidence treatment pathway is the right thing to do without consideration of whether the child understands the impact on their future physical health, sexual function and fertility, OR a judge who is independent of all that.

You can only determine a child is Gillick competent if you ask the right questions and discussion all the problems, not just assume that they’re going to be “asexual anyway” so it doesn’t matter 🙄.

She won anyway. She changed everything.

This is a very good point.

Keira, thank you.

One positive of this decision is that it frees Keira Bell to choose how much she wants to step back from all of this. She's already done more than enough, by an enormous margin.

I agree that we all owe Keira a huge debt for what she's done. The exposure of the dire state of the offer from GIDs to children has been exposed and there was a massive public acknowledgement of the hazards of transitioning for children and young people.

I am in awe of so many courageous women like Keira who have spoken up and acted - and endured so much hate and hostility as a result. Thank you Keira.

I agree that this is likely to have been the best way to get attention to the issue. IIRC, "a review" was promised by Mordaunt in Sept 2018. Nothing happened until Sept 2020 when the Cass Review was announced. You have to wonder if it would have happened without her. The GEO did announce "research" but that would not have been a review like there is now, especially with Javid's further announcement in the last week or so.

for Keira

Keira Bell won on the establishment finally having to acknowledge in public that there was a medical scandal.

Trans activists won on being able to say that using judicial review was not a good way to get court room victory bragging rights.

Which win looks best?

(Although using judicial review did turn out to be highly effective from a tactical point of view in terms of getting the best result.)

It's noteworthy how chosen names are, and are not respected. In that online update, they could just say Bell, as in: Bell v Tavistock as per the second sentence. And it could just read "permission has been refused in the first sentence. But no.

That's not necessarily a shame. Keira Bell had already won in any case, discrediting the existing medical protocols, revealing the lack of a sound evidence base, revealing the experimental nature of the treatments, and revealing that "wholly irreversible" was a political/ideological statement rather than a scientific one.

The outcome of her case is the Cass Review, not a hearing in the Supreme Court.

Even if trans activists celebrate an apparent victory they'll know how hollow it is because the uncontrolled medical treatments from before 2020 are not likely to return.