We have filed our intervention

We are pleased to announce that we have now filed our intervention in the Tavistock’s appeal against the Bell judgment.

The intervention is made on behalf of a small group of NGOs – Stonewall, Endocrine Society, Gendered Intelligence, and Brook – and has the backing of many other organisations in the LGBT, children’s rights, and reproductive rights sectors, alongside international medical bodies.

The NGOs speak for the voices that were not directly heard in the original Court judgment, in particular the voice of the child and the voice of prescribing doctors with expertise in the medical evidence and standard of care for transgender health.

It is based on 3 main grounds: (i) the need to hear the voice of teenagers affected, (ii) the issues the judgment raises around the role of parental consent and, (iii) the wider implications, in particular for access to contraception and abortion care, of the Divisional Court’s ruling.

The Interveners have closely coordinated and formed a wider coalition across their sectors to ensure that all the affected groups are represented and that the relevant evidence and expertise are before the Court, without duplication. We hope therefore that there will not be other interventions, which could damage the prospects of this one.

There will be a short court hearing this Friday 29th January to determine whether any outside parties should be granted permission to intervene. We will of course keep you posted on the outcome.

Solidarity with you all.

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