Woman who claims she was rushed into taking ‘experimental’ puberty-blocking drugs at 16 wins right to take NHS gender clinic to court in landmark case

Woman who claims she was rushed into taking ‘experimental’ puberty-blocking drugs at 16 wins right to take NHS gender clinic to court in landmark case

A woman who claims she was given ‘experimental’ puberty-blocking drugs at 16 without being warned of the consequences is set to lead as a witness in a landmark case. 

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs the UK’s first gender clinic in London, is being sued over concerns it gave powerful drugs to children as young as 12 without proper consent. 

Keira Bell, 23, started gender reassignment at the clinic when she was a teenager after she felt suicidal and asked to be called by a boy’s name at school. 

She was prescribed hormone blockers to halt the development of her female body after just three one-hour appointments. 

But Ms Bell has now stopped transitioning and argues staff did not challenge her want to become a teenage boy. 

Ms Bell is now waiting to see if she has fertility issues following the drugs and claims she should not have been rushed into treatment because children cannot given adequate consent. 

The judge in the landmark case, Mr Justice Supperstone, told The Sunday Times it was ‘plainly arguable’ the clinic was acting unlawfully and has given permission for the high-profile trial in the divisional by July.