UK indefinitely bans new prescriptions of puberty blockers for transgender minors

The United Kingdom on Wednesday officially banned new puberty blocker prescriptions for transgender youth indefinitely, ruling that more research into the treatment is necessary.

The decision comes after an independent study commissioned by England’s National Health Service months ago found that evidence to support puberty blockers and other treatments for transgender youth is "remarkably weak," according to NBC News. 

The United States Supreme Court is weighing a similar case on the constitutionality of state bans on transgender care for minors.

 Critics have warned that the medication is strong and primarily untested. Puberty blockers delay or pause puberty in teenagers, but the changes are intended to resume if a person stops taking the medication.

“Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led,” British Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said in a press release. “The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.”

Streeting said transgender minors who are already taking the medication can continue doing so, and minors who start puberty early can still get a new prescription. The ban will be revisited in 2027.

Dr. Hilary Cass, the author of the independent study, said she agrees with banning the medication outside of the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

"Puberty blockers are powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks, and that is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed following a multi-disciplinary assessment and within a research protocol," she said. "I support the government’s decision to continue restrictions on the dispensing of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria outside the NHS where these essential safeguards are not being provided."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.