The Cass Review has not been remotely discredited
Julia Hartley-Brewer said:
“It has not been remotely discredited. That again, that is simply untrue.”
The Cass Review was a large, government-commissioned independent review led by a senior paediatrician, so the claim that it is authoritative and beyond serious challenge sounds reasonable to anyone who has not followed the academic response to it.
The Cass Review was a large, government-commissioned piece of work, and that does give it a certain authority on first look. What that framing leaves out is the substantial published academic response: a detailed methodological critique appeared in the BMJ questioning whether the review applied its own evidence standards consistently, and several international professional bodies have disputed its conclusions. 'Not remotely discredited' is a long way from where the scientific debate actually is. Trans young people and their families deserve to know that, because if they believe the case against their care is settled and unchallengeable, they may stop asking questions that are entirely worth asking.
Trans young people and their families who are told the evidence base against their care is settled and unchallengeable, when the scientific debate is ongoing.