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Three High Court judges in a landmark UK court decision have ruled that it is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers.

The court also ruled that it is “doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blocking drugs.”

The case was brought by two claimants against Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. One of the claimants is Keira Bell, an outspoken “detransitioner”.

Bell was prescribed puberty blockers at age 15 and said that the practice of prescribing puberty-blocking drugs to children under 18 was unlawful as they lacked competence to give valid consent to the treatment.

Bell was then prescribed cross-sex hormones to promote male characteristics before undergoing surgery.

She has subsequently “detransitioned” to live as her birth sex and become an outspoken critic of gender clinics.

“Given the long-term consequences of the clinical interventions at issue in this case, and given that the treatment is as yet innovative and experimental, the court recognised that clinicians may well regard these as cases where the authorisation of the court should be sought before starting treatment with puberty blocking drugs,” the judgment stated.

Bell reportedly said outside court after the legal victory that she hoped it signaled the end of gender clinics “playing God with our bodies [by] experimenting on the young and vulnerable with untested, harmful drugs”.