B.C. doctor fined $28,000 for refusing puberty blocker to transgender teen

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ordered family doctor Henry Ajaero to pay $28,100 in compensation after finding he discriminated against a transgender-identifying 14-year-old patient. The ruling stems from a March 2021 incident in Delta, where Dr. Ajaero refused to administer a prescribed puberty blocker, Lupron, citing his religious beliefs and cultural background.

While the medication can be self-administered, the patient’s family requested the doctor perform the injection. Tribunal vice-chair Devyn Cousineau stated, “I am not persuaded that this was justified by (Ajaero's) religious beliefs or lack of medical expertise,” concluding that the refusal violated protected grounds under the B.C. Human Rights Code. The tribunal noted that the patient had been referred to a gender clinic where the medication was prescribed to pause puberty.