A mother discusses the gender confusion in the birthing room when her adopted intersexed son was born, and how she attempted to save him from harmful genital reduction surgery and sex reassignment.
Intersexuality is a term used to describe a person whose sex chromosomes, genitalia and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. Traditional approaches to management of Intersexuality has been socially motivated surgery. However, some say that surgical treatment is socially motivated and hence ethically questionable; without evidence doctors regularly assume that intersexed persons can not have a clear identity. This is often taken further with parents of intersexed babies advised that without surgery their child will be stigmatized. Creating such pressures without supporting evidence is either bad science or bad ethics. The second assumption is that “mainstream” people are always happy and have a clear sense of purpose. One only needs to look within mainstream society to see this is a fiction. In 20% to 30% of surgical cases to “treat” intersexed babies the result is loss of adult sensations.
David Reimer (birth name Bruce) was born an identical twin in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At 6 months of age both boys were mistakenly diagnosed with phimosis, a natural condition of the infant penis. The so-called doctor Jean-Marie Huot botched the first circumcision completely destroying Bruce's penis. Twin Brian's circumcision was canceled; he made a full recovery from his "condition" of phimosis, without further treatment.
A mother discusses the gender confusion in the birthing room when her adopted intersexed son was born, and how she attempted to save him from harmful genital reduction surgery and sex reassignment.
Intersex activist Cheryl Chase and members of Hermaphrodites with Attitude (a.k.a. Intersex Society of North America) and Transexual Menace protest genital reassignment and "confirmation" surgery on infants and children.
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