Children able to have sex changes without court approval

Children will now be allowed to have sex changes through hormone treatment without the approval of a judge.

A landmark ruling came after five Family Court judges unanimously decided to ditch a previous judgement which meant young people seeking sex changes had to obtain approval from the court, according to The Australian.

The judgment came as a result of international standards for the treatment of gender dysphoria and ‘increased knowledge of the risks associated with not treating a young person’.

‘It is readily apparent that the judicial understanding of gender dysphoria and its treatment have fallen behind the advances in medical science,’ the majority said.

The decision was well received by the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne which said the decision was ‘the greatest advancement in transgender rights for children and adolescents in Australia’.

The case at the heart of the judgment involved a 17-year-old named ‘Kelvin’ who was born female but identified as male.

Lawyers for the 17-year-old’s father argued children should only need the approval of medical experts and their parents before being administered hormones.

The case at the heart of the judgment involved a 17-year-old named ‘Kelvin’ who was born female but identified as male (stock image)

Australia had been the only country in the world to still require court approval for hormone treatment.

Royal Children’s Hospital adolescent medicine head Michelle Telfer said the decision was ‘enormous’.

‘Transgender adolescents will now be able to access the treatment that is best for them, making decisions in collaboration with their parents and their doctors without the delay and the distress that the court system imposes on them and their families,’ she said.