JK Rowling yesterday hailed a High Court ruling upholding a ban on puberty blockers for trans children.
The Harry Potter author and women’s rights activist described the ruling as “a return to evidence-based treatment for vulnerable young people.”
His comments came hours after a High Court judge ruled that an emergency ban on prescribing puberty blockers was lawful.
Judge Lang dismissed a judicial review brought by trans activists who challenged an order banning puberty blockers among the rarely used measures.
The order was imposed in May by the then Conservative Health Secretary Victoria Atkins. Campaign group TransActual had claimed Atkins acted unlawfully by failing to properly consult the public.
JK Rowling yesterday hailed a High Court ruling upholding a ban on puberty blockers for trans children
JK Rowling took to X/Twitter to express her views on the ruling
His comments came hours after a High Court judge ruled that an emergency ban on prescribing puberty blockers was lawful.
Ms Justice Lang ruled that the Health Secretary had “reasonably considered that it was essential to make the order as soon as possible to protect children and young people from the irresponsible prescribing of puberty blockers”.
The consultation would have lasted between five and six months and could have included attempts to thwart the system by starting puberty-blocking treatment before the ban came into force, the judge said.
Rowling wrote in X: “High Court rules UK ban on puberty blockers legal. It seems we are finally returning to evidence-based medicine for vulnerable young people, as opposed to the unsubstantiated claims of ideological lobby groups.”
Yesterday’s decision was also welcomed by current Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who reaffirmed the conclusions set out in the landmark Cass Review.
Mr Streeting said: “Children’s medical care should be evidence-based. Dr Cass’s review concluded there was insufficient evidence that puberty blockers are safe and effective for children with gender dysphoria and gender incongruence.
“Therefore, we must act with caution and care when dealing with this vulnerable group of young people.”
A protester at a Trans Pride march in London on July 27 holds a sign calling Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting “transphobic.”
Women’s rights groups praised yesterday’s decision, saying “Wes Streeting demonstrated that the new government is determined to take an evidence-based approach to protecting the welfare of children with gender issues” (pictured: Wes Streeting)
Sir Keir Starmer also said that children’s medicine should be based on evidence-based care. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We are obviously pleased that the court has upheld the ban.”
The report comes after the Cass review into gender identity services concluded in April that children had been directed towards irreversible change on the basis of scant medical evidence. Dr Hilary Cass, who led the review, said gender medicine had been “built on shaky foundations”.
A month before the study was published, NHS clinics were banned from prescribing puberty blockers to children, but the ban was not extended to private clinics, and Dr Cass’s study highlights the loophole in the law.
The emergency ban was intended to close a loophole that could be exploited by private clinics and European prescribers.
Women’s rights groups welcomed yesterday’s decision. Maya Forstater, of Sex Matters, said: “By upholding his predecessor’s ban, Wes Streeting has shown that the new government is determined to take an evidence-based approach to protecting the welfare of children with gender issues.”
TransActual’s Chay Brown said the group was disappointed, adding: “The ruling relies heavily on the discredited Cass review.”
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