The Question of Intersex Births: to ‘Normalize’ or Not
Every year, Doctors perform surgeries on intersex newborns to ‘normalize’ them. These surgeries are done in what is believed to be the best choice to bring someone born with ambiguous genitalia a more normal lifestyle. Based on the definition of morality involving impartiality, the surgeries on a basis are unethical. The doctors cannot be considered impartial due to their bias from society as well as misunderstanding of sexes. Normalization surgery also violates the evils of morality, thus making the surgery immoral on that alone. There has also never been a report of an intersex child who felt that the surgery was the right option or agreed with it, and while some believe that the surgery is the duty of the doctor and the parents to perform, they are not in the position to make a decision as there is no emergency that would require surgery right away. Therefore, Gender normalization surgery on infants who have no say in the matter is unethical. …show more content…
Intersex is defined as a term “used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of male or female.” There are countless variations of the term intersex, but for the purpose of this argument, it will refer mainly to children born with ambiguous genitalia (“UN Condemns “Normalization” Surgeries of Intersex Children”). Therefore, gender normalization then is a doctor’s response to the birth of an intersex baby; it is a surgery that alters the infant’s body, designating an assigned ‘sex’ and thus gender for the baby based on what is easier for the doctors to make. Most of the time intersex babies are designated as female as it is easier to make a working vagina as opposed to a working penis. (Tamar-Mattis
Every year, Doctors perform surgeries on intersex newborns to ‘normalize’ them. These surgeries are done in what is believed to be the best choice to bring someone born with ambiguous genitalia a more normal lifestyle. Based on the definition of morality involving impartiality, the surgeries on a basis are unethical. The doctors cannot be considered impartial due to their bias from society as well as misunderstanding of sexes. Normalization surgery also violates the evils of morality, thus making the surgery immoral on that alone. There has also never been a report of an intersex child who felt that the surgery was the right option or agreed with it, and while some believe that the surgery is the duty of the doctor and the parents to perform, they are not in the position to make a decision as there is no emergency that would require surgery right away. Therefore, Gender normalization surgery on infants who have no say in the matter is unethical. …show more content…
Intersex is defined as a term “used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of male or female.” There are countless variations of the term intersex, but for the purpose of this argument, it will refer mainly to children born with ambiguous genitalia (“UN Condemns “Normalization” Surgeries of Intersex Children”). Therefore, gender normalization then is a doctor’s response to the birth of an intersex baby; it is a surgery that alters the infant’s body, designating an assigned ‘sex’ and thus gender for the baby based on what is easier for the doctors to make. Most of the time intersex babies are designated as female as it is easier to make a working vagina as opposed to a working penis. (Tamar-Mattis