Many on these forums are divided on this topic. Some come from a position of 'children should be allowed blockers' and some from 'we should watch and wait until they are mentally mature enough to decide themselves'. Some sit on the fence and are more 'case by case basis is important'.
Obviously there are risks, pros and cons of all three approaches.
Risks involved in delaying puberty:
a. The adolescent is at risk (though not certain) of infertility or sexual dysfunction should they change their mind and turn out to not be trans.
b. If LONG TERM delaying of puberty then there is a risk of Osteoporosis but this is generally only in the longest of duration to my understanding?
c. If they turn out to not be trans then they will be years behind their peers in puberty and there is the risk they won't reach what would have been their natural pubertal potential.
However; 'watchful waiting' also carries with it some pretty devastating long term effects.
MtF:
Increased bone length and density, widened shoulders, facial bone development, male pattern hair loss, hormonally induced facial/body hair, a permanently deepened voice. To name but a few.
FtM:
Breast development, the distress of periods, pelvic development, stunted height and bone length (apologies I am less knowledgeable on the FtM side of things).
So.. many on these forums advocate for the watchful waiting strategy.
I understand that you believe 'trans people can come to terms with the body they were born with'. However if you have never experienced dysphoria I feel that you do not understand how naive this approach is. You are then condemning that individual to a lifetime of misery.
Forcing a a transman to go through having a mastectomy or a transwoman to have a breast augmentation (not paid for by the NHS in most cases for the latter) because the breasts they managed to develop on hormones never developed past tanner stage 3 (but on a male developed chest/rib cage.. ).
Forcing a transwoman to have to endure hundreds of hours of pain for facial and body hair removal, which costs a small fortune, only a small amount of which is covered by the NHS under the current schemes (it is my believe that PCOS sufferers should be able to access these funds too) and then days of embarrassment and pain totally hundreds more hours walking around unable to cover up the swelling and spend weeks feeling bruised and tender from electrolysis.
Not to mention the fact that vocal therapy is incredibly difficult. Vocal Surgery is highly variable in success rates. And also not covered on the NHS. Therapy is a nightmare to be referred for with incredibly long lead times.
Would 'watchful waiting' advocates therefore be happy for all surgeries and treatments and therapies to be completely covered on the NHS because trans people were forced to wait until they were already well underway through their sex designated puberty?
Because the way I see it, is that if trans young people are forced to be powerless with regards to their own body decisions then 'the system' should pay for forcing these young people to undergo otherwise avoidable changes. Not just some of the treatments, but all of them. And see them through to completion (for example, 30 hours of electorlysis paid for on the NHS and also £2500 worth of laser our of my own pocket for facial hair removal is not enough. I will likely need another 40+ hours to totally clear the hair I have due to puberty at £60 an hour).
Personally, I would have been happy to undergo the early stages of puberty until in a position I could have stored viable sperm or ova (if I so chose to) and then be given the option to halt puberty with blockers. The side effects so often touted are generally from long term use, again to my understanding. Then once I was sure of who I am, I should be allowed at the option to begin cross sex hormones to give myself the best possible chance of achieving a body that will allow me to be rid of dysphoria.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/children/
Surely at 16, the age of medical consent should come in to effect? Sperm and Ova are viable and storable.. At this point I can press the pause button. In the UK you can pass your driving test at 17. So why not give the option to drive your own body?
My belief is that sometimes in doing nothing, harm is done. I wish I had known that blockers were an option growing up.
I know some will take great offence to my opinion but I am open to discuss my stance respectfully.