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According to Start Tribune (Twin Cities, Minnesota), a urologist at the University of Minnesota has been disciplined by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice removing healthy ovaries from a 7 year old girl. Dr. Michael Wipf apparently mistook the girl's ovaries to be abnormal during "corrective surgery for her urinary problems," but had neglected to order biopsy to confirm his observation.
The hastiness with which important medical decisions are made and surgeries are performed on this girl without concrete evidence indicating the necessity to do so is consistent with other ways children with intersex and other "abnormalities" are treated within the medical system. Dr. Wipf was reprimanded because the removed body part happened to be perfectly normal, but such "mistakes" are inevitable as long as doctors routinely make such decisions without consulting all evidences.
Source:
Lerner M. 2006. "St. Paul doctor disciplined by state board." Minneapolis Star Tribune. November 21.
Posted by Emi on Nov 21, 2006