The ban was prompted by a directive from the UK government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Government officials also asked the websites to suspend their domain names. The takedown enforcement was initiated after the release of a major study (the Cass Review) about gender identity in youth, which was commissioned by the UK’s National Health Services. The websites shipped drugs used in transgender procedures to individuals who are unable or unwilling to receive them from healthcare providers. A spokesperson for one of the sites forcibly removed from internet search results suggests that Google is partnering with the government to remove people’s healthcare rights. “Google has not contacted us and is not obligated to contact us, we believe,” the unnamed representative told 404 Media. “However, Google's decision to align itself with a government determined to strip its citizens of access to safe and timely healthcare is entirely in line with the deprecation of their former motto [‘don’t be evil’], and unsurprising on account of it.” UK officials state in a letter to both companies that the takedown order was issued because they are operating in violation of the law. “The listed website has been identified as facilitating the commission of criminal offences relating to one or more of the applicable regulations of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, which consolidate the law of the United Kingdom concerning medicinal products for human use,” according to the letter, which was reviewed by 404 Media. “The domain is offering the sale and supply of unauthorized medicines to persons in the UK,” the letter continues. “The domain is not a registered pharmacy in the UK or, it appears, anywhere else in the world. The targeting of UK individuals in this way is illegal and presents a real risk of harm to public health in the UK.” Government officials say that purchasing medicinal products from illegal online suppliers raises the risks of receiving a product that may cause harm. “Buying any medicinal product from illegally trading online suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK,” an MHRA spokesperson told PinkNews. “Purchasing from illegal suppliers means there are no safeguards to ensure products meet the MHRA’s standards for quality and safety, and taking such medicines may put one’s health at risk,” the spokesperson continued. In addition to de-listing the websites, authorities have “remedial intervention,” as well as criminal investigation and possible prosecution as tools in order to bring the companies into compliance.Big Tech behemoth Google has delisted two pharmaceutical websites that sell “do it yourself” gender affirming hormones.
