Quote:
Originally Posted by Jmsmittyroad
This show is a huge argument for more research into medical alternatives and when to (or when not to) intervene. Obviously most doctors don't have enough training in this area. How different would his life had been had they just said let's wait and see.
Kudos to Jim, very brave
|
Just wanted to add I'm a medical student in my final year and nothing about homosexuality (mentioned lightly in psychiatry), let alone gender differences has been mentioned in great detail.
I have found a couple of pages in my books about "Disorders of sexual differentiation", where it states that "the infants sex
must not be assigned until detailed assessment has been performed by medical, surgical and psychological specialists followed by discussion with the parents. It has been usual to raise the child as a female, as it is easier to fashion female external genitalia, whereas it is not possible surgically to create an adequately functioning penis. However, it may be impossible to predict the sexual identity of the child in their eventual adult life and further support or gender reassignment may be required.
For this reason there is a move toward delayed definitive surgery to allowed the affected individual to give informed consent to any reconstructive procedures."
Based on this short paragraph alone you can contrast it with Jim's sad story. Obviously medical literature at the time (like he mentioned) was still at the "go for the easier gender" stage. Hopefully doctors these days are aware of the implications sexual differentiation disorders and do not continue to affect children's lives in such a manner.