09/09/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
The European Professional Association for Transgender Health responded to the age restriction on access to hormones in Türkiye and regulations restricting transgender people’s right to healthcare and legal recognition.
The European Professional Association for Transgender Health (EPATH), in a statement published on its social media accounts, expressed concern over the age restriction on access to hormones in Türkiye and regulations restricting transgender people’s right to healthcare and legal recognition. Expressing solidarity with transgender people, healthcare professionals and civil society organisations in Türkiye, EPATH called on the Turkish authorities to ensure that healthcare and legal frameworks are shaped with respect for medical ethics, human rights, human dignity and equality.
EPATH stated that transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people in Türkiye have faced increasingly restrictive measures affecting access to healthcare, legal recognition and fundamental rights, noting that these developments have occurred alongside political initiatives associated with the declaration of 2025 as the “Year of the Family”. It said that the age restriction on access to hormones raises significant concerns regarding discrimination and equitable access to healthcare:
“Over the past two years, transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people in Türkiye have faced a series of increasingly restrictive measures affecting access to healthcare, legal recognition, and fundamental rights. These developments have occurred alongside broader political initiatives associated with the declaration of 2025 as the ‘Year of the Family’ and have been widely criticised by national and international human rights organisations. Particularly concerning is the decision of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK), issued in June 2025, to restrict access to gender-affirming hormone treatments, including testosterone, oestrogen, and GnRH analogues, for individuals under the age of 21. This ban was effective immediately, resulting in many people on a treatment plan experiencing a sudden interruption. These medications remain available for other medical indications in the same age group, raising significant concerns regarding discrimination and equitable access to healthcare.”
“We call upon policymakers to ensure that healthcare and legal frameworks are informed by scientific evidence”
EPATH noted that the restrictions affect not only adolescents but also adults aged 18-20, who are recognised under Turkish law as autonomous adults capable of making their own healthcare decisions. It also pointed to warnings from professional and community organisations that limiting access to medically supervised care may increase psychological distress and drive some individuals towards unsafe or unregulated alternatives.
EPATH continued its statement by expressing further concern over proposed legislation that would substantially restrict legal gender recognition and access to gender-affirming healthcare:
“Reported proposals include raising the minimum age for legal gender recognition, reintroducing requirements linked to infertility or sterilisation, expanding judicial oversight of healthcare decisions, and introducing criminal penalties including imprisonment for healthcare professionals providing gender-affirming interventions outside newly proposed restrictions and for individuals pursuing such interventions. Furthermore, the proposed criminalisation vaguely extends to attitudes and behaviours not congruent with the sex assigned at birth or general morality.”
“We stand in solidarity with transgender and gender-diverse people, their families, healthcare professionals, and civil society organisations in Türkiye” EPATH said, calling on the Turkish authorities to ensure that healthcare and legal frameworks are informed by scientific evidence, medical ethics, human rights, human dignity and equality:
“EPATH supports healthcare that follows the evidence-informed clinical guidelines and is individualised. Decisions regarding gender-affirming care should be guided by clinical need, professional standards, and respect for bodily autonomy rather than arbitrary age thresholds or political considerations. These principles are reflected in internationally recognised clinical guidance, including the Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. We call upon policymakers to ensure that healthcare and legal frameworks are informed by scientific evidence, medical ethics, and respect for human rights, dignity, and equality.”
Click here to read the full statement.
Tags: human rights, women, media, life, family, health, lgbti
