The problem is that it’s so, so hard to conduct trials on kids. The ethical hoops you have to jump through are massive, quite rightly. I’ve worked on two paediatric cancer trials in my career and both, I mean I cannot even begin to go into how complex and regulated they were, but trust me - very, very tight regulation. As it should be.
This post fascinated me.
I have M.E. There has historically been a huge debate around whether the causes of M.E are psychosomatic. There is enough (good quality) research happening now to say that it isn't but most of that is happening in the States. There are a sizeable number of psychiatrists here in the UK who still get lucrative research grants to explore whether M.E patients are ill because they have false illness beliefs and are essentially attention-seeking. The BBC has given them a decent amount of coverage over the years incidentally, as has the Guardian.
I don't doubt some of these psychiatrists care about M.E patients but if you really look at things closely, M.E has been an absolutely wonderful milch-cow for them.
There have recently been a study on children on something called the Lightning Process. It's a ridiculous thing where the severely ill patient is supposed to repeatedly stand up, throw their arms in the air and say 'I feel fantastic'. Bear in mind some children with M.E are bedbound and unable to talk/stand/bear light. It's ridiculous.
Studies weren't done on adults first, the team went straight to testing children. Vulnerable children. The M.E community protested loudly, saying it wasn't ethical and the Lightning Process was pseudo-science but it went ahead regardless.
The LP isn't a drug and so you could say, well why does it matter? But some patients who have paid for it privately (out of desperation) are so unwell the LP has made them seriously deteriorate. One child attempted suicide after doing the LP because it didn't cure him and he was made to feel he'd failed.
It's just interesting that there are all these rules and ethics committees but when you get a group of adults with enough power, these things get swept aside so easily.
I'm trying to say it's not just the trans issue where this is happening, I guess. And where it is happening it's pretty clear to see what's behind it because it'll be somewhat similar each time - money, status, access to children quite possibly. Humans are flawed and sometimes catastrophic errors of judgment occur. We have to keep shouting about them as loudly as we can.