Getting Rid of Infant Intersex Surgeries

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Getting Rid of Infant Intersex Surgeries

FRANCES BALDERRAMA Staff Writer

 

Intersex surgeries are an important decision to make when it comes to possibly changing a person’s entire life. According to the Intersex Society of North America, intersex surgeries are the modifications to atypical or abnormal genitalia after birth in hopes of avoiding future risks. These surgeries have risks and medical complications for infants. “Any… surgical procedure on the external genitalia of a newborn is a cosmetic surgery and is not medically necessary,” Dr. Susan Stred, a pediatric endocrinologist said. Advocates for Intersex Youth reports that less than 1.7 percent of children are born with intersex issues. The statistics show that 1 in 2,000 children are born intersex, yet this phenomenon is more common than most people believe. They advocate that parents must deal with these situations delicately. “A baby cannot provide that consent,” Sen. Scott Wiener said in a statement to NBC news.