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According to Australian Associated Press, an international team of American and Australian doctors received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Health to study genetic causes of intersex conditions. Vincent Harley of the Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne and Eric Vilain of the University of California will study genetic makeup of "some 30 intersex patients... as well as genetically engineered intersex mice." Harley told AAP: "We have a bank of patients and the aim ultimately is to understand what is wrong in those patients." But intersexuality is a naturally occurring variation that is neither right or wrong; if anything, it is the society that deems intersex bodies shameful or offensive that is wrong.
Vilain further explains the purpose of this study: "When a baby is born intersex it's quite traumatic for the family... Knowing the molecular explanation for this syndrome helps perform rapid diagnosis... so we can say to the patients.. your baby will be more comfortable in a male or female gender." Wow, so many flaws in just a couple of lines. Where should we even start?
First of all, they can't tell the child's gender identity by studying genetic makeup of the child--all gender assignments, including those on non-intersex babies, are therefore tentative until the child is old enough to express how they feel. Second, parents of intersex babies are not "patients"--there needs to be a limit to how they can have their children's bodies medically altered. And lastly, parents' anxiety is a real concern, which should be addressed by social and psychological support, as well as honest and factual communication. For doctors to pretend to know what they cannot know (i.e. which gender the child will be more comfortable in) is dishonest and does not serve any constructive purpose.
There are valid reasons doctors should study the genetic causes of intersexuality. However, no amount of causal knowledge shall be used to justify or rationalize otherwise unethical medical practices, such as medically unnecessary surgical "correction" of intersex babies, or dishonest communication with the parents of intersex children.
Posted by Emi on Jul 17, 2003