The Recent Transgender Court Decision in Czechia
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (A Commentary on Case Pl. ÚS 52/23)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46282/blr.2024.8.2.946Keywords:
Trans People's Rights, Recent Transgender Court Decision in Czechia, Czech Constitutional Court, Legal Gender Reassignment, Sterilisation, Castration, Human RightsAbstract
The present commentary examines the recent transgender court decision by the Czech Constitutional Court (CCC). In this decision, the CCC held that compulsory sterilisation and/or castration in the context of legal gender reassignment constitute a violation of human rights. This could be considered as a significant development in the Central and Eastern European context. Nevertheless, the commentary also addresses some of the more problematic aspects of the CCC’s decision. It begins by providing factual background and describing the Court's conclusions. Subsequently, the core part of the commentary aims to critically analyse the decision itself, both from internal and external legal perspectives. The commentary concludes by underlining the fact that on balance, the decisions is a step in the right direction and might serve as an inspiration for other constitutional courts in the region.
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