Children not capable of giving informed consent to puberty blockers, UK High Court told

Keira Bell outside the UK Royal Courts of Justice in central London Picture: Sam Tobin/PA

Children cannot properly understand the “lifelong medical, psychological and emotional implications” of taking “experimental” puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, the UK High Court has heard.

A 23-year-old woman who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16 before “detransitioning” and the mother of a 16-year-old autistic girl are suing the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs the UK’s only gender identity development service (GIDS) for children.