By elocal magazine
The High Court has ordered the government to temporarily suspend its planned ban due to take effect this week on new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, pending further court orders.
The case arose after Cabinet agreed last month to stop all new prescriptions of puberty blockers, formally known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, until the results of a major United Kingdom clinical trial expected in 2031.
In granting the order, the High Court said there was no evidence of an urgent physical health risk requiring an immediate halt to new prescriptions. The court noted that puberty blockers are considered reversible and have been prescribed in New Zealand for decades for conditions such as precocious puberty.
The judgment said evidence before the court suggested the mental health impacts of a ban were a more immediate concern.
Justice Wilkinson-Smith also observed that the proposed restrictions would have gone further than those in the United Kingdom, with “scant” evidence to justify a total ban.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins called the ruling “a sensible decision”, while the Green Party said it marked progress toward healthcare “based on science and empathy, not political posturing”.
Family First chief executive Bob McCoskrie said the ruling put young people back at risk, describing the decision as one where “an activist judge has bought the lies of a dangerous activist group”.
Centrist Ltd.
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