A Swiss court has ordered parents who object to their daughter's gender transition to hand over legal documents supporting her medical transition.
The parents, whose identities have not been revealed, lost their appeal against handing over the documents at the Court of Justice in Geneva this week and now run the risk of criminal charges if they refuse to do so.
Their daughter, now 16, first said she wanted to become a boy in 2021 when she was 13. At the time, they refused to allow her to take puberty blockers but her school let her socially transition against their wishes.
The parents, who are being supported by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), have already been separated from their daughter for a year after a court ordered that she be placed in a government-funded youth shelter.
According to ADF, the parents were also blocked by the courts from making medical decisions for their child. They were then sued to provide necessary legal documents for her medical transition.
The father, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "We are deeply saddened that this nightmare situation continues.
"Not only has the state separated us from our daughter because we objected to her 'transition,' but we are now being threatened with criminal charges if we do not aid in her 'legal transition' by handing over legal documents.
"The state should not have this power. If this can happen to us, it can happen to other parents. We will not give up trying to protect our daughter and will seek to appeal this decision."
ADF's lead lawyer on the case, Dr Felix Böllmann, said the ruling was "a grave injustice" and that Switzerland should follow the UK in moving to ban the use of puberty blockers on minors.
"[The parents] have every right to withhold their consent to a so-called 'sex change', given the vulnerable state of the minor concerned and that such a step could pave the way for harmful and potentially irreversible physical 'transition'," he said.
"The court should uphold the rights of parents acting in the best interest of their child, instead of weaponizing the law to advance dangerous ideologies that drive a wedge between parents and children and increase the likelihood of psychological and bodily harm.
"Swiss authorities should look to what is happening in the nearby UK, where the country's High Court has just ruled that a ban on 'puberty blockers' is lawful and could soon become permanent.
"Switzerland should follow the UK's example and ultimately restore parental rights."
