The Health Ministry has defended restrictions on hormone therapy used in gender transition by citing the protection of the “Turkish family structure.”
The restrictions were implemented through a directive issued by the ministry in July last year, effectively hindering gender-affirming therapy for individuals under 21. Separately, hormone prescriptions registered for gender-affirming therapy has been blocked since February.
Kaos GL, an LGBTI+ advocacy group, said it had formally requested information from the ministry regarding the restrictions. The ministry gave a response after an intervention from the Ombudsman Institution but it left some questions unanswered.
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In its response, the ministry confirmed that testosterone, GnRH analogues and medications containing at least 2 milligrams of estrogen alone cannot be prescribed for gender reassignment purposes to people under 21.
The ministry said the restrictions were intended to ensure “patient safety” and protect the “family structure.”
It referred to efforts to prevent what it called “gender-neutralization policies” and said one of its objectives was “eliminating threats to the Turkish family structure.”
The response did not explain why hormone prescriptions registered with the F64 diagnosis code, titled “transsexualism,” have been blocked in the electronic prescription system since February.
The ministry also said it had established a “Scientific Committee for Gender Transition Oversight and Evaluation” to review medical records.
'This is not acceptable'
Ecmel Deniz of the My Hormone Right (Hormon Hakkım) Collective told KaosGL that the ministry’s response had formally revealed the political approach behind restrictions on access to hormones by referring to "family structure" and "gender-neutralization policies."
Noting that the restriction also applies to adults aged 18–20, Deniz said, “We do not find it acceptable for access to health care to be restricted based on family policy rather than on the individual’s needs and a medical evaluation.”
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Regarding the issue of de facto restrictions, to which the ministry has not responded, Deniz said, “This also highlights the risk that the restrictive framework previously sought to be established through legislative changes will be implemented through administrative practices even before the law is amended.”
Turkey’s Medicines and Medical Devices Agency introduced an electronic prescription requirement in Nov 2024 for some hormone medications used by trans people during gender transition.
The Health Ministry later restricted the prescription of some hormones for gender transition purposes to people under 21. Since February, prescriptions entered under the F64 diagnosis code have been unable to be signed and completed in the electronic system. (NÖ/VK)
