3. Intersex Rights: Ethical issues to do with sex assignment and surgery I
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 09-12-17 14:47
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- 3. Intersex Rights: Ethical
issues to do with sex assignment and surgery I
- Heteronormativity
- Treatment for intersex conditions is heteronormative in a number of ways
- There is an emphasis in decisions about sex assignment and surgery on the ability to engage in penile-vaginal penetration
- Heterosexuality is considered an indication of correct assignment decision
- I.e. an intersex person's not being heterosexual casts doubt on whether the 'correct' decision was made with regard to sex assignment
- Secrecy
- There has often been a practice of withholding information from intersex people and sometimes even from parents
- This is based on the idea gender identity is set by parental treatment, meaning that it is important that parents don't have doubts about their children's sex
- Patients and parents have also been given misleading information
- e.g. calling testes 'ovaries'
- This makes informed consent impossible
- There has often been a practice of withholding information from intersex people and sometimes even from parents
- Note:
- Surgery can be performed later on teenagers and adults at their request
- Not performing surgery is compatible with assigning a sex
- Performing surgery on infants
- Rationale and risks
- Main rationale for performing surgery on infants
- 'fitting in'
- i.e. feeling 'normal' to oneself and appearing 'normal to others'
- won't remember the surgery
- 'fitting in'
- Main risks of performing surgery on infants
- Decreased sexual sensation
- Need for repeat surgeries
- In some cases surgery involves a loss of fertility
- e.g. if gonads are removed
- Main rationale for performing surgery on infants
- Rationale and risks
- Kessler and McKenna's findings
- Kessler, Lesson from the Intersexed, ch5
- Asked to imagine what they would choose if they had an intersex child
- participants overwhelmingly prioritised normal appearance/fitting in
- Asked to imagine what they would want for themselves if they were intersex
- Participants strongly prioritised genital sensation and capacity for sexual pleasure
- Heteronormativity
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