The Czech Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday against a regulation that required surgical procedures for official sex change for trans people. Czech law required transgender people to undergo procedures like sterilization and transformation of the genitals to officially change their gender records.

The Constitutional Court deemed the policy requiring transgender people to undergo sterilization surgeries as contrary to trans people’s fundamental right to protection of bodily integrity, personal autonomy and their human dignity. Furthermore, it considered the rule to be against transgender people’s right to self-determination and personal autonomy. The court further stated that the law is in contravention with the the European Convention on Human Rights. 

The case was brought before the Constitutional Court by a transgender person seeking the official records to prove his gender identity without having to undergo surgical procedures. Various international organizations such as Human Rights Watch previously expressed concern over sterilization laws in the Czech Republic. These laws were labelled as a “violation of the right to health” under the European Social Charter.

Czech Minister of Justice, Pavel Blazek mentioned in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that this decision gives clear instructions as surgery will stop being a legal condition for official gender transition after more than two years of no political consensus.

The Constitutional Court annulled various provisions of the Civil Code but postponed the enforceability of the ruling. This gives space to the legislators to take appropriate legislative action to propose new regulations that will, according to the court, reflect the fundamental rights of trans people. This decision approximates the Czech Republic towards the standards of human rights protection for transgender people in Europe, as the laws are expected to change.

This decision marks another step towards the recognition of transgender rights, such as showcased by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling against medical assessments for legal change of gender in 2013, demonstrating a general European movement in favor of human rights protection for transgender people. With the ruling of the Constitutional Court, the Czech Republic is asserting these human rights standards.