A top scientific officer whose concerns about puberty blockers led to the pausing of a national trial has now been removed from involvement with it due to concerns about his “gender-critical” views.
Professor Jacob George was appointed as the first Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) late last year.
He subsequently raised concerns, according to The Sunday Times, for the safety of participants in a nationwide trial of puberty blockers that was set to begin earlier this year.
Now George has been removed from involvement in the trial after social media posts deemed “gender-critical” came to light.
The posts consisted of George referring to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has been outspoken on her gender-critical views, as “a treasure of our time”. He also commented on the controversy over Olympic boxer Imane Khelif’s gender, saying “the denial of basic biological fact is concerning,” according to The Guardian.
“It is hard to believe the body responsible for regulating medicines could seriously consider signing off on this grotesque experiment,” Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, told en. “Their recent statements suggest a growing understanding of the obvious risks, although their decision to recuse their Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for agreeing with J.K. Rowling on the meaning of ‘sex’ is deeply concerning.
“Endorsing militant transgender politics on social media has been de rigueur amongst senior public sector figures for years and I am not aware of any of them getting into trouble for it in this way. It is an obvious double standard that they are punishing him, especially when he is simply endorsing science and common sense,” he added.
