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Roen K, Lundberg T, Joy E. A relational approach to youth healthcare: Examining young people's, parents' and clinicians' experiences in the context of variations in sex characteristics. Soc Sci Med 2024; 355:117099. [PMID: 39018998 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
According to popular understandings, children grow from a state of dependence to eventually become independent adults. Interdependence helps to disrupt the in/dependence binary and is a useful concept for making sense of the experiences young people with variations in sex characteristics in relation to healthcare. This study used semi-structured interviews with 32 health professionals, 33 caregivers and 12 young people recruited in the UK and Sweden. The analysis is guided by the questions: (1) how do young people, carers and health professionals position themselves in the adult/young person relationship in the context of healthcare? (2) how is the (in/ter)dependence of young people imagined when young people, carers and health professionals talk about healthcare? Our analysis shows how carers and health professionals might support dominant understandings about young people growing towards independence while providing little opportunity for young people's agency and voice. Interviews with young people gave clear examples of their negotiating relational ways of being, seeking agency in the context of healthcare and not simply becoming independent of adults. This analysis also draws attention to the ways young people might be silenced within healthcare contexts. The present paper is based on secondary analysis of data from the SENS. It works with concepts of relationality and interdependence to draw out the possibilities of voice and agency for young people with variations in sex characteristics in healthcare contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Roen
- School of Psychological and Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand.
| | | | - Eileen Joy
- School of Psychological and Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand
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Mediå LM, Fauske L, Sigurdardottir S, Billaud Feragen KJ, Waehre A. Differences of sex development and surgical decisions: focus group interviews with health care professionals in Norway. Health Psychol Behav Med 2024; 12:2371134. [PMID: 38979393 PMCID: PMC11229732 DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2024.2371134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Differences of Sex Development (DSD) are congenital conditions where the chromosomal, gonadal and anatomical sex characteristics do not strictly belong to male or female categories, or that belong to both at the same time. Surgical interventions for individuals with DSD remain controversial, among affected individuals, caregivers, and health-care providers. A lack of evidence in support of, for deferring, or for avoiding surgery complicates the decision-making process. This study explores Norwegian health-care professionals' (HCPs) perspectives on decision-making in DSD-related surgeries and the dilemmas they are facing in this process. Methods Focus group interviews with 14 HCPs integrated into or collaborating with multidisciplinary DSD teams were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Two overarching dilemmas shed light on the intricate considerations and challenges that HCPs encounter when guiding affected individuals and caregivers through surgical decision-making processes in the context of DSD. The first theme describes how shared decision-making was found to be influenced by fear of stigma and balancing the interplay between concepts of normality, personal experiences and external expectations when navigating the child's and caregivers' needs. The second theme illuminated dilemmas due to a lack of evidence-based practice. The core concepts within each theme were the dilemmas health-care professionals face during consultations with caregivers and affected individuals. Conclusion HCPs were aware of the controversies with DSD-related surgeries. However, they struggled to reconcile knowledge with parents' wishes for surgery and faced dilemmas making decisions in the best interests of the child. This study draws attention to the benefits of increased knowledge on the consequences of performing or withholding surgery as well as incorporating tools enabling shared decision-making between HCPs and affected individuals/caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line Merete Mediå
- Women’s and Children’s Division, Centre for Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lena Fauske
- Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Oncology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Solrun Sigurdardottir
- Women’s and Children’s Division, Centre for Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Anne Waehre
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo, Norway
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Crocetti D, Berry A, Monro S. Navigating the complexities of adult healthcare for individuals with variations of sex characteristics: from paediatric emergencies to a sense of abandonment. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2024; 26:332-345. [PMID: 37199261 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2208194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Intersex people and those with variations of sex characteristics face significant health and social issues. This paper analyses the complexities of adult healthcare for this diverse population, including the root causes of deficiencies in care provision. Many minors with variations of sex characteristics are subjected to irreversible, non-consensual medical interventions, which can have negative effects on their health and wellbeing as adults. This 'emergency' approach to intersex paediatric healthcare has been challenged since the 1990s, but there is still a lack of understanding about how the paradigm affects adult care. This paper aims to raise awareness of the health challenges faced by adults with variations of sex characteristics. It identifies themes related to the challenges associated with accessing appropriate adult care, including the repercussions of childhood treatment, the lack of transitional services and psychological support, the limited general medical knowledge about variations of sex characteristics, and the reluctance to access services due to fear of stigma or past medical trauma. The paper indicates the need for more attention to intersex people's health needs as adults, moving away from attempts to 'fix' them as minors towards approaches which consider and provide for their diverse healthcare needs in a broader temporal context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Crocetti
- School of Human & Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
- subsequently Independent Researcher, Intersexesiste NGO, Bologna, Italy
| | - Adeline Berry
- School of Human & Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
| | - Surya Monro
- School of Human & Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
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Earp BD, Abdulcadir J, Liao LM. Child genital cutting and surgery across cultures, sex, and gender. Part 2: assessing consent and medical necessity in "endosex" modifications. Int J Impot Res 2023; 35:1-6. [PMID: 37085735 DOI: 10.1038/s41443-023-00698-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Earp
- Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Jasmine Abdulcadir
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals of Geneva (UHG), Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Hegarty P, Smith A. Public understanding of intersex: an update on recent findings. Int J Impot Res 2023; 35:72-77. [PMID: 35031713 PMCID: PMC9935380 DOI: 10.1038/s41443-021-00485-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Surgical interventions on infants with intersex characteristics are considered justified by some on the grounds that they carry a high risk of intolerable stigma. However, public understanding of intersex and its medicalization are under-researched. We review recent qualitative and quantitative studies of the understandings of intersex and its medicalization among people who have no particular professional or public experience of intersex. First, such laypeople reason about clinical dilemmas by drawing on values in similar ways as expert healthcare professionals do. Second, laypeople can over-estimate the utility of current 'umbrella terms,' including intersex, for people with direct familial experience of intersex. Third, beliefs about good and bad effects of medical intervention are affected by framing intersex as either a medical condition or the natural basis for a social identity. Fourth, sexual identity is the best evidenced predictor of opinions about early surgical intervention and its legal limitation on human rights grounds. We argue that possible stigmatizing reactions from the public may not be a solid basis on which to justify early surgical intervention on intersex characteristics.
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Hegarty P. The psychology of people with variable sex characteristics/intersex. Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 49:101539. [PMID: 36610363 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Psychological research on people with variable sex characteristics (VSC)/intersex is broadening from the traditional exploitation of this population to ask nature/nurture questions about sexuality and gender. Healthcare for this population has been highly controversial, prompting research on psychological outcomes, the life-span development of adults with VSC, and distress trajectories of parents of children with VSC. Psychological research on clinical psychologists' roles in multidisciplinary care teams, and on decision making about medical pathways informed by those teams, both inform the evaluation of contemporary healthcare. Research is broadening to consider schoolchildren with VSC, elite athletes with VSC, and public understanding of VSC. The growing interdisciplinary field of intersex studies provides critical resources for psychologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hegarty
- The Open University, Department of Psychology & Counselling, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
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Child genital cutting and surgery across cultures, sex, and gender. Part 1: female, male, intersex-and trans? The difficulty of drawing distinctions. Int J Impot Res 2023; 35:1-5. [PMID: 36460787 DOI: 10.1038/s41443-022-00639-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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Roen K. Hypospadias surgery: understanding parental emotions, decisions and regrets. Int J Impot Res 2023; 35:67-71. [PMID: 34987180 DOI: 10.1038/s41443-021-00508-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This paper builds an argument about genital surgery in the context of medical treatment of children and young people with variations in sex characteristics. First, I set out what is known from existing research including psychological research, surgical follow-up studies and parental regret studies. Second, I present an analysis of surgeons' talk about children, young people and parents in relation to genital surgery. This paper focuses most specifically on hypospadias surgery, but the argumentation is relevant for other kinds of genital surgery carried out in the context of genital variations. The questions guiding this paper are: what research evidence supports hypospadias surgery and what research evidence brings this surgery into question? How might a new interpretation of the evidence, in light of psychosocial research and human rights concerns, contribute to a new perspective on elective genital surgery on minors with variations in sex characteristics? I draw out implications for clinicians supporting parents to decide whether a surgical pathway is the best option for their child.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Roen
- School of Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
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Reber N, De Clercq E. Enduring uncertainties. Medical accounts on caring for young people with variations of sex characteristics. DIALOGUES IN HEALTH 2022; 1:100014. [PMID: 38515880 PMCID: PMC10953950 DOI: 10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Objectives The diagnosis of intersex or variations of sex characteristics (VSC) often has a big impact on families who fear social stigmatization. Research has shown that intersex populations often experience important health disparities and that poor mental health and daily function are common among youth with VSC. The present study aimed to explore what healthcare professionals of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with VSC find important in terms of care to this group of patients. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Swiss healthcare providers involved in the care of youth born with an intersex variation. The qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Analysis resulted in six major themes: (1) With regard to patients' and families lived experiences, interviewees reported that fertility was as a major issue for parents but not for intersex youth as they were said to live in the moment. (2) Respondents considered various forms of psycho-social care (professional support, peer support and informal support from family and friends) to be of fundamental importance for their patients, but many of them seemed critical about support from advocacy groups and activists. All healthcare providers reported significant gaps in (3) the transition process and (4) the establishment of multidisciplinary care teams due to structural, provider- and patient-related barriers. (5) Participants were in favor of a more holistic and patient-centred care approach and (6) were critical about the medicalized use of DSD (disorder of sex development) with patients and families. Conclusion These findings suggest that although clinicians work hard to implement a holistic approach to care, their intentions are often undercut by a desire to hold a position of medical control. Healthcare professionals need to come to see medical uncertainty not only as a threat but also as an opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Reber
- University of Basel, Institute for Biomedical Ethics, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland (CH)
| | - Eva De Clercq
- University of Basel, Institute for Biomedical Ethics, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland (CH)
- University of Zürich, Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, Winterthurerstrasse 30, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland (CH)
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Earp BD. Genital Cutting as Gender Oppression: Time to Revisit the WHO Paradigm. FRONTIERS IN HUMAN DYNAMICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fhumd.2022.778592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) condemns all medically unnecessary female genital cutting (FGC) that is primarily associated with people of color and the Global South, claiming that such FGC violates the human right to bodily integrity regardless of harm-level, degree of medicalization, or consent. However, the WHO does not condemn medically unnecessary FGC that is primarily associated with Western culture, such as elective labiaplasty or genital piercing, even when performed by non-medical practitioners (e.g., body artists) or on adolescent girls. Nor does it campaign against any form of medically unnecessary intersex genital cutting (IGC) or male genital cutting (MGC), including forms that are non-consensual or comparably harmful to some types of FGC. These and other apparent inconsistencies risk undermining the perceived authority of the WHO to pronounce on human rights. This paper considers whether the WHO could justify its selective condemnation of non-Western-associated FGC by appealing to the distinctive role of such practices in upholding patriarchal gender systems and furthering sex-based discrimination against women and girls. The paper argues that such a justification would not succeed. To the contrary, dismantling patriarchal power structures and reducing sex-based discrimination in FGC-practicing societies requires principled opposition to medically unnecessary, non-consensual genital cutting of all vulnerable persons, including insufficiently autonomous children, irrespective of their sex traits or socially assigned gender. This conclusion is based, in part, on an assessment of the overlapping and often mutually reinforcing roles of different types of child genital cutting—FGC, MGC, and IGC—in reproducing oppressive gender systems. These systems, in turn, tend to subordinate women and girls as well as non-dominant males and sexual and gender minorities. The selective efforts of the WHO to eliminate only non-Western-associated FGC exposes the organization to credible accusations of racism and cultural imperialism and paradoxically undermines its own stated goals: namely, securing the long-term interests and equal rights of women and girls in FGC-practicing societies.
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Sanders C, Amyot E, Usipuik M, Crawford L, Callens N, Chanoine JP, Jones T. Lifespan healthcare transitions among individuals with intersex traits in Canada: a mixed-methods and qualitative study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e055759. [PMID: 35396291 PMCID: PMC8996003 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To: (1) complete an integrative literature review of transition studies that focus on individuals with intersex traits; (2) conduct an environmental scan of the current resources (practice guidelines, policies and procedures) used by healthcare providers working with Canadians with intersex traits; (3) investigate the experiences of Canadians with intersex traits in their healthcare transitions across the lifespan and (4) assess the understanding of healthcare providers about these transitions. DESIGN A qualitative prospective community participation study was conducted. It used mixed methods including an environmental scan and semistructured engagement sessions. SETTING The environmental scan examined resources available throughout Canada. The engagement sessions took place in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS Sixteen participants were recruited. These included 13 individuals with intersex traits (a heterogeneous group of congenital conditions affecting the development of sex characteristics) and three caregivers. METHODS Mixed methods included an integrated literature review, environmental scan and qualitative approaches developed in collaboration with community partners. RESULTS The literature review identified gaps in transition care for individuals with intersex traits. The environmental scan uncovered no specific resources used by healthcare providers working with patients with intersex traits, though several general guidelines were used. Engaging providers in the study was problematic. Thematic analysis generated three main themes that emerged from the engagement sessions: (1) transition is a lifespan activity; (2) building personal agency is valuable and (3) well-being promotion is an application of health literacy. CONCLUSIONS Transition resources for individuals living in Canada with intersex are scarce. Transitions happen across the lifespan with ownership of thought and actions seen as acts of personal agency. Health literacy skills and knowledge change with increased age, yet the primary source of knowledge often remained important in the individual's autobiographical self.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Sanders
- School of Nursing, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Emma Amyot
- School of Nursing, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Megan Usipuik
- School of Nursing, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Leigh Crawford
- School of Nursing, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nina Callens
- Gender Chamber, Flemish Ombud service, Flemish Parliament, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Chanoine
- Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia
| | - Tiffany Jones
- School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Earp BD, Shahvisi A, Reis-Dennis S, Reis E. The need for a unified ethical stance on child genital cutting. Nurs Ethics 2021; 28:1294-1305. [PMID: 33719736 DOI: 10.1177/0969733020983397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Society for Pain Management Nursing, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other largely US-based medical organizations have argued that at least some forms of non-therapeutic child genital cutting, including routine penile circumcision, are ethically permissible even when performed on non-consenting minors. In support of this view, these organizations have at times appealed to potential health benefits that may follow from removing sexually sensitive, non-diseased tissue from the genitals of such minors. We argue that these appeals to "health benefits" as a way of justifying medically unnecessary child genital cutting practices may have unintended consequences. For example, it may create a "loophole" through which certain forms of female genital cutting-or female genital "mutilation" as it is defined by the World Health Organization-could potentially be legitimized. Moreover, by comparing current dominant Western attitudes toward female genital "mutilation" and so-called intersex genital "normalization" surgeries (i.e. surgeries on children with certain differences of sex development), we show that the concept of health invoked in each case is inconsistent and culturally biased. It is time for Western healthcare organizations-including the American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Society for Pain Management Nursing, American Academy of Pediatrics, and World Health Organization-to adopt a more consistent concept of health and a unified ethical stance when it comes to child genital cutting practices.
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Earp BD. Male or female genital cutting: why 'health benefits' are morally irrelevant. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2021; 47:medethics-2020-106782. [PMID: 33462078 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The WHO, American Academy of Pediatrics and other Western medical bodies currently maintain that all medically unnecessary female genital cutting of minors is categorically a human rights violation, while either tolerating or actively endorsing medically unnecessary male genital cutting of minors, especially in the form of penile circumcision. Given that some forms of female genital cutting, such as ritual pricking or nicking of the clitoral hood, are less severe than penile circumcision, yet are often performed within the same families for similar (eg, religious) reasons, it may seem that there is an unjust double standard. Against this view, it is sometimes claimed that while female genital cutting has 'no health benefits', male genital cutting has at least some. Is that really the case? And if it is the case, can it justify the disparate treatment of children with different sex characteristics when it comes to protecting their genital integrity? I argue that, even if one accepts the health claims that are sometimes raised in this context, they cannot justify such disparate treatment. Rather, children of all sexes and genders have an equal right to (future) bodily autonomy. This includes the right to decide whether their own 'private' anatomy should be exposed to surgical risk, much less permanently altered, for reasons they themselves endorse when they are sufficiently mature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Earp
- Yale-Hastings Program in Ethics and Health Policy, Yale University and The Hastings Center, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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