Tory ban on prescribing puberty blockers was lawful, high court rules

Aban on prescribing puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria in England, Scotland and Wales was lawful, a high court judge ruled yesterday.

- Haroon Siddique

The Conservative government issued an emergency order on 29 May temporarily outlawing the supply of puberty blockers pursuant to an overseas prescription, in the wake of the review by Dr Hilary Cass into gender medicine.

The review criticised the lack of evidence surrounding the benefits and the risks associated with puberty blockers and the legislation was designed to ensure they could only be obtained as part of an authorised clinical trial.

The advocacy group TransActual and a young person who cannot be named challenged the decision, claiming it lacked rigour and was motivated by the personal views of the health secretary at the time, Victoria Atkins.

They argued that she had not identified the "serious danger to health" needed to justify emergency legislation and that she should have consulted before issuing the order.

However, Mrs Justice Lang handed down a judgment saying Atkins had acted in accordance with the law.