SW News: The High Court in England has ruled that children under 16 with gender dysphoria are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to undergo treatment involving puberty-blocking drugs.

The legal case was brought against a London public health authority, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. They operate the Tavistock Centre. That's the UK’s only specialist clinic for young people with gender dysphoria.

Amongst those bringing the legal action was 23-year-old Keira Bell, a young woman from the city of Cambridge. She was referred to the Tavistock Centre with suspected gender dysphoria as a teenager and was prescribed puberty blockers at age 16. That was then followed by a double mastectomy four years later. She told the court how she was now, “heartbroken” to realize she had, "gone down the wrong path" -- and she argued that the Tavistock Centre should have challenged her more over her decisions as a teenager. Following the court ruling, Miss Bell said she was, “delighted to see that common sense has prevailed” and that vulnerable children would now be better protected.

In the wake of the ruling, the Tavistock Centre has now suspended new referrals for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for the under-16.