The High Court in London has upheld a ban on prescribing puberty-blocking drugs to children. This ban, enacted in March by the previous Conservative government, was challenged by transgender activists but has now been confirmed by Justice Beverley Lang.
The government had restricted the National Health Service (NHS) from using puberty blockers outside of clinical trials and banned private suppliers from prescribing them. The NHS had already stopped prescribing these drugs last year, citing insufficient evidence about their benefits and harms.
Justice Lang stated that gender care is an area of “remarkably weak evidence” and that young people have been caught in a “stormy social discourse.” She deemed the emergency procedure to enact the ban as “rational” to “avoid serious danger to the health” of children during the required consultation period.
TransActual, the group that challenged the ban, expressed concern for the safety and welfare of young trans people in the UK. Chay Brown, the group’s healthcare director, criticised the government for allegedly prioritizing ideology over medical needs.
Current Health Secretary Wes Streeting supported the decision, highlighting the NHS review’s finding of insufficient evidence for the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers. He emphasised the need for cautious action and announced plans to improve children’s gender identity services and establish clinical trials for puberty blockers.
