The Labour Party pushes for stronger trans healthcare and gender-affirming care in Ireland. The party suggests delivering gender-affirming services within primary care, emphasizing GP-led management. A motion has been tabled in the Dáil advocating for a new National Clinical Programme for trans healthcare, featuring integrated care pathways across the system.
Speaking on the motion, Labour TD Marie Sherlock highlighted that it has been ten years since the Gender Recognition Act was enacted. She stressed the importance of ensuring that vulnerable young trans people receive compassionate, timely, and appropriate medical support.
Sherlock pointed to alarming delays, noting that vulnerable youths face a four-and-a-half-year wait just to secure an initial appointment with the national gender service. She argued this duration amounts to a lifetime for a young person in urgent need of care, calling for urgent action to address the wait times.
Additionally, she warned that about 30% of young people are resorting to self-medication obtained on the black market, with no proper GP or clinical oversight, which creates significant safety risks.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill acknowledged a substantial rise in demand for gender-affirming healthcare. She admitted that current public services do not fully meet people’s needs and emphasized the necessity of establishing appropriate, comprehensive services. The minister noted that the Health Service Executive (HSE) has already created a national clinical programme for gender healthcare to develop an updated model of care.
MacNeill also referenced a Programme for Government commitment to ban conversion therapies and mentioned that the Department of Children is pursuing this objective as part of its ongoing work.
