New Zealand to ban puberty blockers for trans youth
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New Zealand will prohibit new prescriptions of puberty blockers for trans young people from 19 December, aligning its policy with recent restrictions in the UK. Health Minister Simeon Brown announced that doctors will no longer prescribe gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for gender dysphoria or incongruence to new patients, citing a lack of “high-quality evidence” on long-term safety and effectiveness.
The drugs will remain available for those already receiving treatment and for other medical conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis and prostate cancer. According to the Ministry of Health, 113 people were using puberty blockers in 2023, down from 140 in 2021.
Brown said the move was a “precautionary approach” intended to ensure treatments are “clinically sound and in the best interests of the child.” The ban will stay in place until the results of a UK clinical trial, expected in 2031, are published.
The decision has sparked strong criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and medical professionals. The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) warned the ban could lead to “worsening mental health, increased suicidality and dysphoria” among gender-diverse youth, calling the policy “ideologically driven” and harmful to an already vulnerable population.
The announcement comes amid a global debate over gender-affirming care for minors, with similar restrictions introduced in the UK following the controversial Cass Review.
