MEDIA RELEASE: Government must pursue puberty blocker ban despite High Court ruling

21 October 2026 — For immediate release

Speak Up for Women is calling on the Government to pursue a ban on prescribing puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria, despite today's High Court decision overturning the existing regulations.

In Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa Inc v Minister of Health, Justice La Hood found that the regulations were unlawful because of inadequate consultation and an unjustified breach of the right to freedom from discrimination.

However, the Court also accepted that Health Minister Simeon Brown had a rational basis for restricting access to puberty blockers, particularly given the findings of the UK's Cass Review.

Speak Up for Women spokeswoman Suzanne Levy says the judgment does not resolve the serious questions about the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers for children.

"The Government has lost this case, but the concerns that prompted the ban have not gone away.

"The Court has not found puberty blockers to be safe or effective. It has found that the Government's particular approach was unlawful. Those are very different things."

The judgment records the findings of the Ministry of Health's own evidence review, which identified significant limitations in the quality of evidence about both the benefits and risks of puberty blockers, including insufficient evidence to establish whether they are safe or reversible.

Further concerns have been raised by a Finnish study published in April 2026, which examined psychiatric outcomes among more than 2,000 young people referred to specialist gender identity services.

The study found that serious psychiatric problems remained prevalent among young people who underwent medical gender reassignment, and did not demonstrate the anticipated mental health benefits of those interventions.

While the research did not isolate the effects of puberty blockers or establish that medical interventions caused poorer outcomes, its findings add to concerns about the evidence supporting medical treatment of gender dysphoria in young people.

"These are children who may already be experiencing significant psychological distress," says Levy.

"They deserve compassionate, evidence-based healthcare, including proper assessment and treatment of any underlying mental health difficulties.

"We should not be exposing children to medical interventions with uncertain long-term consequences without convincing evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks."

The Court found that an indefinite blanket prohibition was disproportionate, particularly because it did not allow exceptions for young people at high risk of serious adverse health outcomes.

However, Justice La Hood expressly left it to the Minister and Cabinet to determine what, if any, restrictions should be imposed in light of the judgment.

Speak Up for Women believes that a ban remains the appropriate response to the current state of clinical evidence and is calling on the Government to pursue replacement legislation or regulations that address the Court's findings.

"The Government should not abandon its responsibility to protect children simply because its first attempt at a ban has failed a legal challenge," says Levy.

"We recognise that the Court has identified significant legal obstacles, but those obstacles should prompt the Government to develop a lawful and effective approach, not abandon the policy altogether."

Where the evidence of benefit is so uncertain, and the potential consequences for developing children so significant, the precautionary principle must prevail.

Children deserve better than being the subjects of an ongoing medical experiment.

ENDS

References:

• Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa Inc v Minister of Health [2026] NZHC 3248, 21 October 2026.

• Ruuska et al., Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adolescents and Young Adults Who Contacted Specialised Gender Identity Services in Finland in 1996–2019: A Register Study, Acta Paediatrica, April 2026.