Young people in England and Wales with gender dysphoria are being left “in limbo” and unable to access time-sensitive puberty blocker medication, VICE World News has been told. A recent court ruling makes it clear that under-16s can receive time-sensitive puberty blocker medication with parental consent, but many are still not receiving treatment they are legally entitled to. “We are in a position where a significant population of young people who are currently in the pathway [to transition] just simply don’t know whether they’re going to access the medication that they need,” Lui Asquith, director of legal and policy for youth trans charity Mermaids said. “It is leaving them completely on hold whilst the puberty, which is the reason they’re being recommended for this treatment, is continuing to establish itself.” In December 2020, the High Court in London banned the prescription of puberty blockers – a reversible treatment used to delay puberty – to under-16s unless sought through a court order. The case was bought by Keira Bell, a woman who detransitioned, and the mother of a trans child. At the time, charities and lawyers condemned the ruling, arguing it would have damaging ramifications for trans adolescents, who face a heightened risk of suicide and depression.