Mermaids are running the metaphorical shredders.

[ToriaPumpkin]

Mermaids have updated their guidance om puberty blockers, now stating they are "believed" to be reversible.

twitter.com/ripx4nutmeg/status/1293260663742136322?s=19

@LizzieSiddal

This is good news but if investigate/sued can’t they just say they were following the NHS advice?

I doubt anyone will succeed in suing Mermaids. They haven't prescribed any drugs, so haven't directly harmed anyone. They will, as @LizzieSiddal, says be able to point out that they were just following NHS guidance in the advice they gave.

The lawsuits will hit the Tavi and anyone else who has actually prescribed to minors - including GPs who have been pressured into it by the GMC/BMA/Royal College of GPs telling them that it's conversion therapy to question use of PBs/hormones in children.

NHS can never put this on anyone else. It’s going to some lawsuit!

@Totickleamockingbird

NHS can never put this on anyone else. It’s going to some lawsuit!

Unfortunately - because I think the Tavi should have to compensate every under 18 who received medication - I doubt many cases will be successful. It is generally quite difficult to sue successfully for negligence if your doctor was following accepted practice at the time. The Tavi will be able to point to many other countries which treated dysphoric kids in a similar way, and the complainants will not have many examples of countries that didn't. It's not impossible to prove negligence anyway, but it will be an uphill battle.

Even if they don't succeed though, the law suits will bring welcome publicity to what has been happening, and should make it much less likely that any more children will be harmed in the same way.

There’s also the consent angle to all this, which Keira Bell’s case will open up. As I understand it, consent requires risks to be explained properly to patients so that their consent can be properly informed. Doctors have to explain material risks of a treatment they are offering, in an individualised way to each patient. So in GIDS‘ case, you wonder how they can explain risks adequately to their child patients and to parents, when there is so little evidence around risks from blockers, but there is evidence of lasting harm from blockers, and seems to be little available evidence of lasting benefit to patients from taking blockers? (As detransitioned women point to from their own experience).

The Medical defence union points to GMC guidance in place since 2009 that would require this approach to consent:
www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/guides/montgomery-and-informed-consent

This BMJ article argues that this standard discussion of risk should have been be applied to consents taken, as far back as 1999: www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2224

I would contribute to a crowd funding effort for this legal case when it comes about.

Me too. The sooner the better. Troubled children need reassurance, practical help, someone sensible to talk to. Not Mermaids.

Lurking on this thread too. I have been waiting for this to all blow up and the sooner the better. I hope that is what's going to happen.

They're trending on Twitter this morning.

Only because it has been noted that they are being dropped left right and centre. So we're still at the stage of feeling something brewing. I think following the Australian article, organisations are finally beginning to see that this shit show is going to implode.

Nice wee haiku on twitter this morning:

Mermaids, sat on rock,
Drying out in heat of sun,
Everyone can see.

twitter.com/MonoZero6/status/1293799777038209026

Here's something interesting

Fair Cop put out a tweet regarding withdrawl of Mermaids from NSPCC but have not allowed any further tweets and have deleted some that were there yesterday. I just love a good old conspiracy theory.

I know there is more to come ..... the thick plotens