Time to deliver trans healthcare reform now

Labour’s Health spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD said the Government must act immediately to reform trans healthcare in Ireland, warning that today’s indication it will not vote against Labour’s motion is meaningless without a concrete plan. Speaking during Labour’s Private Members’ Business in the Dáil, Deputy Sherlock said the current National Gender Service (NGS) system is failing vulnerable people, with wait times of more than four years, no adolescent service, and no recruitment in five years.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“Across Ireland, young trans people are being left without care. Families are trying to support their children, but they are met by a healthcare system with 4 and a half year waits before an initial NGS appointment. This Government has forced vulnerable people to self-medicate, with research showing that almost one in three trans people have turned to black market medicines because no GP or clinic will see them. It is unacceptable and deeply damaging.

“We know the facts. We know there has been no recruitment into the National Gender Service for five years. That failure has left people without access to basic care and has centralised services in Dublin, locking out those in rural parts of the country. The BeLonG To and Trinity College Dublin research in 2024 shows the real human cost of these waits. Trans young people speak of 4 year delays as a feeling of hopelessness. The Journal reported research from Trans Healthcare Action that 75 percent of trans people have self-harmed, 82 percent have experienced suicidal thoughts and 39 percent have attempted suicide. These are not statistics. These are lives.

“This Government’s response today was deeply inadequate. The Minister sidestepped issues in the chamber today on recruitment, failed to acknowledge the lack of GP training, and offered nothing for adolescents. Trans teenagers and their parents have no service at all. They are pushed to CAMHS, which was never designed to provide gender-affirming healthcare. It is a clear dereliction of duty.

“There is a real alternative. Other countries of similar scale have implemented evidence-based models. Malta provides de-pathologised care based on wellbeing. Iceland’s approach delivers minimal wait times. Australia uses multi-disciplinary teams supported by GPs, community health and telehealth. Ireland can follow these examples instead of leaving people to wait 4 years for a first appointment.

“Labour is calling for a full reset of Ireland’s model of trans healthcare. It must be based on informed consent and respect for bodily autonomy. It must include multi-disciplinary teams, psychological and social supports, a continuum of care from adolescence to adulthood, and proper GP training on prescribing, monitoring and referral. These are our neighbours, our children, our colleagues and our friends. They deserve dignity, safety and timely care. The Government must act now.

“Labour’s motion marks ten years since the Gender Recognition Act 2015, landmark legislation introduced by Labour in Government to afford legal recognition and dignity to trans people. But legal recognition was only ever one part of the social contract. The other part was compassionate healthcare, and a decade on, that promise has not been fulfilled. Vulnerable people are left to navigate a fragmented and paternalistic system. Many face invasive questioning. Many cannot come out publicly because of the climate of hostility.

“Trans people have been forced into a crisis by inaction. Long waiting lists, absent adolescent services and a lack of recruitment have created an environment where people feel they must medicate themselves to survive. The emotional and psychological consequences are devastating. The risks to physical health are real. Families trying to support their children are left on their own.

“Labour is clear. Ireland needs a modern model of care built on informed consent, multi-disciplinary support and real access through trained GPs. There must be a continuum of services from teenage years to adulthood. This Government has the resources, the examples and the medical expertise to act but has chosen not to. Trans people cannot wait another decade. It is time to deliver reform and provide the care every person deserves.”