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On May 16, 2007, a symposium on "growth attenuation" therapy for children with severe developmental disabilities was held at University of Seattle. The case involves a series of medical treatments in which in which a 6-year old girl with severe developmental disabilities had her growth hormonally stopped, hysterectomy performed, and also had breast buds removed, so that she will remain in childlike size and shape for the rest of her life. While the symposium is not specifically related to intersex, it raised many of the issues that are relevant to the ethics of intersex medical treatment, namely: degree to which parents can exercise medical decision-making powers on behalf of their children, legal and policy frameworks for protecting children's right to bodily integrity, the problem with the use of medical technologies as the solution to social issues, etc. You can read a full, detailed review of the symposium on Emi's blog.
Posted by Emi on May 17, 2007