The Government’s announcement that new patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence can no longer be prescribed gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues from 19 December 2025 is a concerning move.
The Nurses Society of New Zealand position is that prescribing decisions should rest with clinicians, patients and their whānau.
Additionally, treatment guidelines should be made by clinicians, professional bodies and health regulators, not politicians.
Moreover, such decisions and guidelines should be evidence-based and not driven by political ideology.
The fact that the proposed ban only applies to persons being prescribed GnRH analogues for gender incongruence or dysphoria indicates that this decision is not about medication safety, but is politically motivated to prevent transgender people from accessing gender affirming health care.
The Government’s announcement that new patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence can no longer be prescribed gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues from 19 December 2025 is a concerning move.
The Nurses Society of New Zealand position is that prescribing decisions should rest with clinicians, patients and their whānau.
Additionally, treatment guidelines should be made by clinicians, professional bodies and health regulators, not politicians.
Moreover, such decisions and guidelines should be evidence-based and not driven by political ideology.
The fact that the proposed ban only applies to persons being prescribed GnRH analogues for gender incongruence or dysphoria indicates that this decision is not about medication safety, but is politically motivated to prevent transgender people from accessing gender affirming health care.