New guidelines for treating 'intersex' babies

MSNBC ^ | 2/18/2005 | Associated Press

[nyg4168]

Wow, this is a tough one. What a heartbreak for parents who have to make this choice and the children who have to live with the consequences. Giving these families some sort of grace period to figure things out seems like a good idea. On the other hand, I've heard of some people born this way saying, "Just leave me like I am, this is how God created me."

[muawiyah]

Sometimes mistakes are made. Parents are terribly defensive on behalf of their children in those cases.

When in doubt (years after the fact) don't ask!

[LauraleeBraswell]

I watched a program on this. It really is rare. Hundreds of babies seems an aggrandized number.
All unborn children start out female. Sometimes the testicles do not drop, giving a male child the outward appearance of female.

Once again it is very rare.

[Mercat]

Some huge percentage of intergender children are male without fully formed male genitalia. I had a client who when through three operations by the time he was four. I saw the pix of him in the hospital and by the time he had had his third operation, he was no longer the happy toddler. BUT he had the requisite equipment. wow. such pain in this world. I did the paternity case forcing his bio father to not only pay for his college but encouraging, thanks to a wonderful judge, a relationship with a father he had never known.

[Sloth]

The past handling of such cases has been idiocy. The idea that you can change a boy into a girl just by mutilating him & giving him some hormones is about the most repugnant thing in recent medical science, aside from abortion.

[Patti_ORiley]

Jamie Lee Curtis would have made a terrible man. It looks like they guessed correctly.

[nyg4168]

And the part in this story about the woman who was mistakenly raised as a boy, then had to go through changing her identity, and now she can't get married to a man because Texas won't change her birth certificate? Talk getting kicked while your down. Poor woman. I hope some good lawyer in Texas volunteers to help her out.

[mlc9852]

I just get the feeling there is more of an agenda in this research than meets the eye.

[Sloth]

Yeah, it's ridiculous that an error on your birth certificate can't be corrected.

[jwalburg]

I get the same feeling.

[Xenalyte]

Not so rare that it's unknown in FReeperdom, though. I know someone who was born intersex.

[LauraleeBraswell]

David Reimer is a classic example of what happens when a boy is raised a girl. It's a truly sad story.

[Judith Anne]

One in 4000 births, I just googled it.

Out of 280 million, that would be 7 thousand, if I've done my math right, here in the US.

[Judith Anne]

Or maybe 70,000?

I'm trying to do it in my head...I think 70,000 is right.

[Tamar1973]

Out of 280 million, that would be 7 thousand, if I've done my math right, here in the US.

More like 70,000.

[Judith Anne]

Yes, you're right, of course. See my post right above your correction.

[TXBubba]

Back when they first started doing sex change operations this is the only case I could support it for. I do think mistakes were/are made when a decision is made at birth. I think in the past it was made more to make the child look normal and shield them. I would think they would be able to determine the sex fairly early in life. But I'm not sure what criteria is used to do so. I'm sure corrective surgery isn't a pleasant thing but it would be better than being trapped in an opposite sex body.

[Grut]

The idea that you can change a boy into a girl just by mutilating him & giving him some hormones is about the most repugnant thing in recent medical science

How about the idea that you can change a girl into a boy just by leaving her in a body with 'boy' parts?

[LauraleeBraswell]

The term "intersex" is completely inappropropriate. Intersex by definition means having both male and female sex organs, technically an intersex individual could impregnate himherself which has never happened in the history of mankind.
MSN is wrong with their terminology. They are referring to babies of ambiguous sexual characteristics.

[RobertMorrow]

It is very simple. The doctors should do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING until the kid grows up and figures out what he or she is or if they are happy just the way they are. Guessing with a knife and hormones and parents' selfish wishes leads to absolute disaster.