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Sarah Creighton and Lih-Mei Liao of the University College London Hospitals wrote a new report titled "Changing attitudes to sex assignment in intersex" in the March 2004 issue of BJU International. While acknowledging that drawing participants from intersex condition support groups for recent follow-up studies may have contributed to the data denouncing cosmetic genital surgeries on children, Creighton and Liao argue that "surgeons may not be able to suspend for much longer the reality of the challenges posed by different groups and continue their usual practice unabated."
In conclusion, the authors call for "more consideration" given to the idea of "delaying irreversible genital surgery," with "psychological backup, professional and/or lay, that is appropriate to the circumstances of patient and family." "If this sounds experimental, sex assignment by genital surgery also represents an experiment involving invasive, risky and irreversible intervention," they argue. "The clinician's choice is stark: to share the diverse opinions with patients and parents and assist them to develop their own responses, or pretend to certainty and intervene before they learn what questions to ask."
Source:
Creighton SM, L-M Liao (2004). "Canging attitudes to sex assignment in intersex." BJU International. 93: 659-664.
Posted by Emi on Feb 27, 2004