Making Sense of Intersex Changing Ethical Perspectives in Biomedicine [Paperback]

Putting the ethical tools of philosophy to work, Ellen K. Feder seeks to clarify how we should understand the problem of intersex. Adults often report that medical interventions they underwent as children to correct atypical sex anatomies caused them physical and psychological harm. Proposing a philosophical framework for the treatment of children with intersex conditionsone that acknowledges the intertwined identities of parents, children, and their doctorsFeder presents a persuasive moral argument for collective responsibility to these children and their families.

Is a work of philosophy capable of bringing insightful new perspectives or illuminating and forceful arguments to an urgent social matter so as truly to effect a felt change in the lives of people concerned by it? Feders book is capable of this effect. As such, it takes the risk of calling forth a new public, or a new readership, and so is a work whose appeal could well be ahead of its time. But its time should be here.Feders exploration of the ethics of intersex treatment is a cautionary tale for health care providers and families. Her analysis highlights serious deficiencies in the contemporary process of informed consent. As a physician, mother of adults with atypical sex, and moderator of a family support group, I strongly urge clinicians involved in the care of these children to read this book . Feder makes it clear that the prevailing model of decision-making for irreversible treatments such as surgery and hormonal therapy relies on the flawed premise that these treatments will prevent harm to children and families despite evidence that they actually cause harm. Assuming that information overload will paralyze anxious families, physicians fail to provide balanced education on long-term effects. In dismissing input from the ultimate experts, patients with lived experience of lasting physical and emotional trauma, clinicians neglect their primary moral obligation to vulnerable families.ló%