Puberty blockers for under-16s ruled on by High Court judges

In a landmark ruling, the High Court has declared that teenagers under the age of 16 are unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent to take puberty blockers for gender reassignment. The ruling followed a legal challenge against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs England’s only gender identity service for children.

Keira Bell, who brought the action, said the judgment would protect vulnerable young people – but trans campaigners called it an “absolutely devastating blow”.