The Health Secretary is facing legal action to force a ban on controversial sex change drugs for children, aligning with the existing prohibition on puberty blockers, as reported by The Telegraph.
Lawyers representing individuals who regret taking sex change drugs, along with their families, are seeking a judicial review against Wes Streeting’s decision not to immediately prohibit cross-sex hormones.
Leading the case is Keira Bell, a de-transitioner who previously won a landmark case in 2020 against the Tavistock Clinic, where she was prescribed puberty blockers as a teenager.
Dr. Hilary Cass previously warned that both puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones could alter the trajectory of psychosexual and gender identity development, citing “remarkably weak” evidence supporting their use in children with gender dysphoria. Following the Cass Review, then-Health Secretary Victoria Atkins imposed an emergency ban on puberty blockers for under-18s. In December 2023, Mr. Streeting made the ban permanent but did not extend it to cross-sex hormones.
The court action argues that prescribing sex change drugs to 16- to 18-year-olds poses an “irreversible” and “unacceptable” health risk to vulnerable children. Cross-sex hormones alter physical sexual characteristics, while puberty blockers delay puberty by suppressing hormone release.
The NHS has urged extreme caution when considering cross-sex hormone prescriptions due to their harmful side effects. Ms. Bell’s legal team at Sinclairs Law stated:
“The claimants are deeply concerned about the rationality of the Secretary of State’s decision-making following the publication of the Cass Report… That led ultimately to the Secretary of State electing to ban puberty blockers but taking no obvious action to protect children from the risks posed by cross-sex hormones.”
The legal letter to Mr. Streeting continued:
“Our client is deeply concerned about the ongoing risk to children posed by cross-sex hormones. The onus on the Secretary of State to act is compounded by NHS England’s failure to take appropriate action in response to the Cass Report.”
Ms. Bell shared her personal experience, stating:
“I was prescribed cross-sex hormones at 17 while struggling with issues including my sexuality and repressed trauma. These drugs warp your being and, particularly for women, cause irreversible effects.”
She called for an end to what she described as a “heinous practice” and the introduction of better support systems for vulnerable young people.
Her lawyer, Paul Conrathe of Sinclairs Law, criticised the government’s stance, saying:
“It is remarkable that the Secretary of State has not banned cross-sex hormones despite knowing the risks. He prohibited puberty blockers but failed to act on even more harmful cross-sex hormones, which expose children to irreversible lifelong changes.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated:
“We continue to work with NHS England to implement the full recommendations of Dr. Cass’s review. We welcome the additional safeguards that NHS England is introducing, including strengthened oversight from national clinicians.”
NHS England has confirmed that all referrals for cross-sex hormones will now be reviewed by a national multi-disciplinary team with an independent chair.