Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 5/3/2024; Author: Nerma Šehović
The online news outlet Nulta Tacka reported on a leaked email from a former hospital director in England, which addressed the question of the safety of milk from transgender women for infants, and included elements of disinformation.
An article with the following headline was published on February 19, 2024:
“The British government says that milk from trans people is better for babies than natural breast milk“
The article states the following:
“The British government has announced that drug-induced “breast” milk produced by biologically male people who identify as female is as good, if not better, than natural breast milk for babies.
“In a letter to campaigners, the University of Sussex NHS Trust (USHT) said that the milk produced by trans women after taking a combination of drugs is “comparable to the milk produced after the birth of a baby”, reports the Telegraph.
Chemically rich transgender milk is produced by men when they take the hormone progestin, which creates milk-producing glands, in combination with a drug such as domperidone, which makes them lactate.“
Nulta tacka shared these claims on its Telegram channel on the same day, and the claims were also published on several Facebook profiles (1, 2). Similar claims regarding the milk of transgender women were published on several other web portals in the region (1, 2, 3).
However, unlike the report by Nulta Tacka, these publications did not specifically assert that the British government had declared milk from transgender women superior to natural breast milk. Instead, they indicated that health services or the system have recognized the milk produced by transgender women as being on par with breast milk.
What are the facts?
Claims made by Nulta Tacka, suggesting that the UK government endorsed the view that milk from transgender women is superior to natural breast milk for babies, stem from a letter described as ‘leaked.’ This letter, penned in August 2023 by Dr. Rachel James, who was serving as the Medical Director of The Royal Sussex County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at the time, responded to an inquiry from the group known as ‘Children of Transitioners.’
NHS Foundation Trusts operate as semi-autonomous, nonprofit entities within England’s National Health Service (NHS), offering a variety of health and hospital services. They are not directly managed by the British government. The Royal Sussex County Hospital, located in the Sussex area of South East England, is one such institution, overseen by an NHS Trust.
“‘Children of Transitioners’ identifies itself as a UK-based website advocating for the children of individuals undergoing gender transition. In May 2023, they reached out to the NHS via email, voicing concerns over the practice of breastfeeding by transgender women in Sussex hospitals, which they controversially labeled as ‘abuse.’ They requested an analysis of the nutritional and safety aspects of milk from transgender women in relation to infant health. The term ‘transgender woman’ is used to describe an individual who was assigned male at birth and has transitioned to female.
‘Children of Transitioners‘ is the name of a British website which claims to “represent children of people in transition/transgender.” In May 2023, they reached out to the NHS via email, voicing concerns over the practice of breastfeeding by transgender women in Sussex hospitals, which they controversially labeled as ‘abuse.’ They requested an analysis of the nutritional and safety aspects of milk from transgender women in relation to infant health. The term ‘transgender woman‘ is used to describe an individual who was assigned male at birth and has transitioned to female.
In her reply, Dr. Rachel James emphasized the hospital staff’s commitment to the well-being and safety of infants. She reassured that the milk from transgender women, subjected to proper health assessments and procedures, is safe and nutritionally adequate. Dr. James described this milk as ‘comparable’ to that produced by cisgender women postpartum, suggesting its suitability in providing essential nutrients.The answer states:
“Although formula milk provides safe and effective full nutrition for infants, there is clear and overwhelming evidence that human milk is the ideal food for infants when this can be provided https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding.
Trust staff would always advise any parent who is taking medication (for whatever reason) to seek advice on the possibility of that medication being transferred to the baby through breastfeeding and also the health implications for the baby and the advice would be specific to the medication and the individual circumstances.
Medications are sometimes used to induce lactation, similar to the natural hormones which encourage lactation to develop when the baby is newly born although occasionally some people are able to induce lactation without hormonal treatment. The evidence which is available demonstrates that the milk is comparable to that produced following the birth of a baby.”
James then references five informative sources on the subject, most of which are scientific studies. Some of these sources are accessible online here, here and here.
Therefore, James said that the milk produced by transgender women with the help of hormone therapy is ‘comparable’ to that produced by cisgender women postpartum. She did not say that it is ‘better,’ as claimed in the article by Nulta tacka.
Moreover, the assertion that the ‘British government’ endorsed such a viewpoint is inaccurate. The comparison originated from Dr. James’s response to an email inquiry, not from an official government statement. The only link to the government lies in the fact that the hospital she is associated with operates under an NHS Foundation Trust, which has partial government connections. Dr. James’s comments have sparked considerable public debate, as indicated by the criticisms found in several sources (1, 2).
British journalist Milli Hill, who also criticized the claims made in Dr James’ letter in an article published on 20 February 2024, contacted the NHS Trust asking for a comment on Dr James’s statements. The Trust said that they stand by the facts presented in the letter of their former employee, as well as the cited scientific works, but stated they had nothing further to add.
Considering the evidence, we classify the claim that the British government has declared the milk of transgender women superior to that of cisgender women for children as fake news.