{"id":144732,"date":"2025-11-20T13:13:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/144732\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:13:09","slug":"new-zealand-bans-trans-puberty-blockers-to-align-with-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/144732\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand bans trans puberty blockers to ‘align with UK’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s ban will come into force in December (Wiktor Szymanowicz\/Future Publishing via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

New Zealand’s ban will come into force in December (Wiktor Szymanowicz\/Future Publishing via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The New Zealand government has announced it is banning puberty blockers for transgender youth as it awaits the results of a major clinical trial in the UK \u2013 which are not expected until 2031.<\/p>\n

The announcement means that, from 19 December, any new prescriptions of hormone suppressing drugs \u2013 known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues \u2013 for the treatment of gender dysphoria will be halted. <\/p>\n

However, the drugs will remain available to trans youth with existing prescriptions, and those who require them for the treatment of early-onset puberty, endometriosis and prostate cancer, or where \u201cclinical evidence clearly demonstrates their benefit\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday (19 November) NZ\u2019s health minister Simeon Brown wrote in a statement shared on X.com that the government is taking \u201ca precautionary approach\u201d and cited the UK\u2019s controversial Cass Review as justification for the ban.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to children\u2019s health, clinical evidence must guide decisions to ensure any medicine given to young Kiwis is proven, safe and effective,\u201d Brown wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe independent Cass Review, commissioned by the UK\u2019s NHS, identified considerable uncertainty about the long-term safety and clinical effectiveness of hormone-suppressing treatments for gender dysphoria or incongruence. This wasn\u2019t a political review, it was clinical.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Zealand\u2019s own Ministry of Health reached the same conclusions in November 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts evidence brief found significant limitations in the quality of evidence regarding both benefits and risks when hormone-suppressing treatments are used for the treatment of gender dysphoria or incongruence.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cabinet has agreed to restrict the prescribing of puberty blockers for patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence.<\/p>\n

Let me explain the approach Cabinet has taken. \ud83e\uddf5<\/p>\n

\u2014 Simeon Brown (@SimeonBrownMP) November 19, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

The 400-page\u00a0Cass Review<\/a>, a sweeping report into the provision of healthcare for trans youth in England, was published in April 2024 and made upwards of\u00a032 recommendations<\/a>\u00a0to restructure the way trans youth receive care. <\/p>\n

One of the recommendations included exercising \u201cextreme caution\u201d on the use of\u00a0puberty blockers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In response to the report, the former Conservative government\u2019s\u00a0enacted a ban on private prescriptions for puberty blockers<\/a>\u00a0for trans youngsters, which was\u00a0continued by Labour<\/a>\u00a0following the general election in July 2024. In December, the ban was\u00a0extended indefinitely<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Cass Review and its methodology has been been\u00a0subject to scrutiny<\/a>\u00a0by charities, not-for-profit groups, medical organisations and academics, including the\u00a0British Medical Association<\/a>, who have labelled it\u00a0\u201cdeeply flawed\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and claimed it relied on a\u00a0\u201cselective and inconsistent use of evidence\u201d<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In May, a publicly funded, \u00a310 million NHS trial into the use of puberty blockers, led by researchers at King\u2019s College London, was launched<\/a>. The trial will see trans youngsters given puberty-blocking treatments and their physical, social and emotional well-being analysed.<\/p>\n

In his statement, Brown went on to say that NZ\u2019s Cabinet had \u201cdecided to align our approach with the UK\u201d and would wait for the trial\u2019s \u201cclinical evidence before reconsidering any decisions\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cCabinet has put in place stronger safeguards so families can have confidence that any treatment is clinically sound and in the best interests of the child,\u201d he concluded. <\/p>\n

\u201cBanning their use will lead to profound distress\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) condemned<\/a> the decision and said it would leave trans youth at risk of deep distress. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe ban will lead to a deterioration in mental health, increased risk of suicidality and increased dysphoria in gender diverse children and young people, and will put them at a higher risk of experiencing marginalisation and discrimination,\u201d Dr Elizabeth McElrea, GP specialist in gender affirming care and PATHA Vice-President, said in a statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe prescribing of puberty blockers is always undertaken with the utmost care and consideration. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey have been prescribed safely for decades for transgender children and banning their use will lead to profound distress in this already vulnerable group.\u201d<\/p>\n

McElrea continued: \u201cPATHA supports evidence-based medicine, which consists of three key components: academic evidence, clinical experience, and patient preferences and values.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the quality of available academic evidence is of lower quality, it\u2019s incredibly common for clinicians to lean on guidelines drawn from clinical experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPractising medicine, and paediatric medicine (not just within gender affirming healthcare), often necessitates providing care without a high-quality evidence base. The absence of high-quality clinical evidence does not mean providing this care is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n