12-year old boy gets sex change
Before I get into the subject matter - Barbaro is off to the glue factory. Apparently they euthanized him today.
Yep - a 12-year old in Germany got a sex change. The only thing preventing him/her from getting the phallus removed is that by law one must be 18 years of age to undergo the procedure.
There are a number of disturbing elements to this story, none of which involve the complicated psychological issues that this young fella has had growing up.
So then, e:josh, what is bothering you about this topic?
1. This is being paid for by taxpayers through their national health service because "the condition qualifies as an illness." If this is true, then why does the doctor who is treating the teenager state that the patient is not suffering from an illness? At best, the science at hand has no answer to this question because countries such as Germany are so consumed by political correctness that they are frozen from debate. Regardless, this is something that taxpayers should never have to foot the bill for.
2. To undergo such a thing, two independent psychiatrists have to "confirm that the child is indeed transsexual" before approving a sex change. By what method could anybody realistically prove such a thing? At some point science and medicine is getting thrown out the window in exchange for sociopolitical dogma.
3. Doctors simultaneously claim that treatment should be pursued as soon as possible in cases such as Tim/Kim (the patients names), yet they also admit that the long-term ramifications of such therapy on a 12-year old is not well understood. This qualifies as medicine in Europe?
4. 12-year olds lack the maturity and sophistication to make decisions on a multitude of things, the least of which are more sobering and final than a sex change. How on earth could doctors have allowed such a thing to occur, particularly with a pre-pubescent? This constitutes an egregious failure on the part of the doctors. What was the reasoning behind the doctors insistence on pursuing a sex change? That to let the patient reach puberty in his state would permanently damage his personality. Excuse me while I smoke enough dope to trick myself into believing such rubbish.
I'm generally a "live and let live" kind of guy - I'm not particularly interested in the sexual diversity of the world outside of the thought that people should be allowed to pursue whatever they like. 12-year olds getting sex changes, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
Yep - a 12-year old in Germany got a sex change. The only thing preventing him/her from getting the phallus removed is that by law one must be 18 years of age to undergo the procedure.
There are a number of disturbing elements to this story, none of which involve the complicated psychological issues that this young fella has had growing up.
So then, e:josh, what is bothering you about this topic?
1. This is being paid for by taxpayers through their national health service because "the condition qualifies as an illness." If this is true, then why does the doctor who is treating the teenager state that the patient is not suffering from an illness? At best, the science at hand has no answer to this question because countries such as Germany are so consumed by political correctness that they are frozen from debate. Regardless, this is something that taxpayers should never have to foot the bill for.
2. To undergo such a thing, two independent psychiatrists have to "confirm that the child is indeed transsexual" before approving a sex change. By what method could anybody realistically prove such a thing? At some point science and medicine is getting thrown out the window in exchange for sociopolitical dogma.
3. Doctors simultaneously claim that treatment should be pursued as soon as possible in cases such as Tim/Kim (the patients names), yet they also admit that the long-term ramifications of such therapy on a 12-year old is not well understood. This qualifies as medicine in Europe?
4. 12-year olds lack the maturity and sophistication to make decisions on a multitude of things, the least of which are more sobering and final than a sex change. How on earth could doctors have allowed such a thing to occur, particularly with a pre-pubescent? This constitutes an egregious failure on the part of the doctors. What was the reasoning behind the doctors insistence on pursuing a sex change? That to let the patient reach puberty in his state would permanently damage his personality. Excuse me while I smoke enough dope to trick myself into believing such rubbish.
I'm generally a "live and let live" kind of guy - I'm not particularly interested in the sexual diversity of the world outside of the thought that people should be allowed to pursue whatever they like. 12-year olds getting sex changes, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
You have every right, of course, to your opinion. And for all I know, you might even be right. But in general terms, I would not trust your medical diagnosis skills without a concurring diagnosis from someone who has actually examined the patient.
Personally, I'm not a doctor, I haven't studied gender identity, and I haven't spoken to the child or his family or his doctors. I don't feel that I have enough information to make a judgment about this.
As to the taxpayers of Germany, I don't think they need an American to protect them. If the German taxpayers think this is wrong, they can choose to do something about it.