U.K. High Court upholds ban on puberty blockers

Justice Beverley Lang in her decision Monday upheld the government’s emergency ban on the drugs and said that the restrictions are lawful. A study that prompted the restrictions provided strong evidence that puberty blockers were potentially harmful and had very narrow benefits, she said. Former Health Secretary Victoria Atkins in May introduced legislation to immediately ban the prescription of puberty blockers to patients under age 18 who were not already taking them. The emergency ban is set to expire on Sept. 3, but the government also introduced indefinite restrictions based on the National Health Service’s new guidelines.

Who contested the restrictions? Transgender advocacy group TransActual UK in June filed a legal challenge to the ban, saying Atkins misused the emergency process and failed to consult with patient groups. The organization on Tuesday said it may appeal the ruling.

What exactly does the restriction do? The emergency ban prevents physicians in the U.K. and Europe from prescribing the drugs to patients in England, Wales, and Scotland. Children who are already taking hormones are allowed to continue and puberty blockers will be available for patients who participate in clinical trials. Patients who take puberty blockers for medical conditions not related to sexual identity will also continue to have access to their prescriptions.

What prompted the ban? The U.K.’s National Health Service in March released a new policy banning health care providers from prescribing puberty blockers for children diagnosed with so-called gender dysphoria or gender incongruence. The policy change stemmed from a study known as the Cass Review that found little evidence that puberty blockers were effective in treating gender dysphoria. Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, in April published her final report and recommendations that children should receive holistic care to address for what she characterized as gender identity issues.

What happens next? Current Health Secretary Wes Streeting said earlier this month that children’s health care should be based on evidence. He supported the Cass Review and backed an NHS clinical trial that will study the effectiveness of puberty blockers.

Dig deeper: Read Nathanael Blake’s column in WORLD Opinions about how pro-transgender activists have failed to provide concrete evidence of the risk of increased suicide rates among young people with gender dysphoria.