Britain’s only NHS gender clinic for children has suspended referrals for hormone therapy after a ruling on the experimental use of puberty blockers.
Judges at the High Court found it was “highly unlikely” that 13-year-olds, and “doubtful” that anyone aged 14 or 15, would understand the full implications of the hormone treatments, and therefore could not give informed consent.
In almost all cases people who take puberty blockers go on to take cross-sex hormones, which may lead to life-changing consequences, such as loss of fertility and impaired sexual function.
Keira Bell, 23, a woman who regrets starting puberty blockers at the age of 16, brought the legal action against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs the country’s only gender identity development service (GIDS)
