The birth of an infant is a socially natural process to be excitedly anticipated and enjoyed. Babies born with ambiguous genitalia, however, are more of a cause for confusion, according to medical literature (Macionis 2013:252). With the twentieth century’s technological advances, medical professionals are now capable of determining chromosomal and hormonal gender, which is typically taken to be the “real,” biological gender, often referred to as the sex. Physicians who handle the births of what are broadly known as intersexed infants are now tasked with determining, assigning, and announcing the gender of a particular newborn (Kessler 1990). In the literature of intersexuality, issues of gender announcement, post-delivery discussions with …show more content…
Like women with Turner Syndrome, early detection in embryos is possible through amniocentesis and CVS. It is also likely for a man who was not diagnosed at birth to be unaware of the chromosomal abnormality until he lags in sexual development (Carroll 2010:89). Many Klinefelter’s Syndrome babies show a significantly smaller penis at birth when compared with the population, but the medical community rarely sees this as a concern (Kessler 1990). With Klinefelter’s Syndrome, men are likely to have a small penis (medically referred to as a micropenis); sparse pubic, underarm, and facial hair; enlarged breast tissue; and abnormal body proportions such as tall stature, long legs, long arms, and large hands. They also exhibit deficits in language processing, verbal processing, judgment, and motor dexterity, but these do not carry over into the man’s adult life. Psychologically, men with Klinefelter’s syndrome have unsteady moods and aggressive tendencies. Hormone Replacement Therapy with testosterone injections can minimize incidence of underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics. Therapy should begin at puberty and will help to improve mood, increase facial and pubic hair, muscle size, strength, libido, and bone density. Even if testosterone therapy is not administered until adulthood, it still shows improvements in mood and behavior. For most men with Klinefelter’s Syndrome, artificial insemination with donor sperm or adoption are the only options for fatherhood, since a man with Klinefelter’s Syndrome are very likely to produce sperm carrying the XXY genotype as well (Armory
Butler’s essay derives her question and ethic from the singular intricacies of the John/Joan cases study wherein a baby born with XY chromosomes suffered an act of accidental genital mutilation such that it was professionally advised to “complete” the gender reassignment and raise the baby as a girl though, much later on, the same child desired to be re-re-assigned as a “man”. Already this case study is rich with complexity and nuance in relation to the efficacy of labels and the formation of a personal gender identity. In her analysis, Butler starts “from a question of power” and defines this notion of power as something that derives itself from “a certain regulatory regime” and that both “informs” and “exceeds” the law (Butler 621). She positions this argument from this orientation to signal that the development of such identities does not occur in a vacuum and is in direct confrontation and relation with systems of power. Furthermore, she acknowledges that to be identified by someone outside yourself is inherent in
First; comes, the notion of nature. West and Zimmerman term this as sex, referring to a person’s biological makeup through genitalia, having a penis or vagina, or simply chromosomal pairing of XY or XX (29). Although there is no escape or control an individual has, if their foetal tissues formed into a penis or vagina, biology does play an underlying role in an individual’s identity and personality formation which is socially constructed. What is the correlation between biology and socially constructed gender then? The case study West and Zimmerman present of “Agnes, a transsexual person who was born (31), ” and raised a boy, but went through sex reassignment surgery, and identifies as a female, shows that although biology may result in a certain genitalia, an individual’s response to that may be one that is conforming or opposing to it. By the terms conforming and opposing I mean to say that Agnes could have either continued to
(Zamira Rahim, CNN) * Canadian baby given health card without sex designation. Searyl Atli Doty is probably the first baby in history to be born without an assigned gender stated on a government issued I.D. card. The parent of the infant avoided delivering their child in a medical facility so that the baby would not have to encounter a “genital inspection” in the hands of the medical system. Normally on a health document, there is always an indication of the sex whether it’s a male or female. There never was a third option until now which is the letter “U” defined as unknown or unspecified. Kori Doty, Searyl’s parent identifies as a non-binary transgender. They are part of the “Gender Free I.D. Coalition” campaign. As stated on their website,
Posed in the 1870s, there was scientific evidence of developing fetuses exhibiting both female and male potential that spurred the thought of human bisexual composition in the early 1900s. An anonymous editorial published in 1906 in the British Medical Journal exclaimed that “women’s suffrage suggested that this underlying hermaphroditic constitution could affect basic gender identity, expressing itself in hermaphroditic personalities” (Carstens, 65). The notions correlated with sex reversal implied that even during the early 20th century, society was not able to separate biological sex and gender identity, blurring the categories and separating the female and male based on pre-determined gender roles. Men were still seen as the innovators of the human race, whereas women were the carriers of the race; their reproductive organs dominated by the man’s. Social anxiety gradually rose due to low birthrates, questioning how the human race would thrive, or simply how men would again dominate the female race because their grips were slipping from women’s reproductive
“It’s a girl!” or “It’s a boy!” is typically the first thing parents hear after the birth of a child. This simple statement of fact sets the groundwork for every interaction they will have with their daughter or son, and for every experience that child will have throughout her or his life. Gender identity—the private experience of being female or male—forms a core part of one’s sense of self (Welker). The nature of this private experience is enormously influenced by what we are taught it means to be a girl or a boy, and these lessons are typically fraught with instances of gender bias—what Beverly Stitt, author of Building Gender Fairness in Schools, defines as “a set of beliefs or attitudes that indicates a primary view or set of expectations about peoples’ abilities and interests according to their sex” (Stitt 3). We are educated in this way first by our family members and then, beginning at a very tender age, by the mass media.
All in all, new parents need to be informed that their baby’s intersex anatomy and diagnosis isn’t a calamity or misfortune. Doctor’s should inform the parent that this biological variation has been seen before and that it’s okay instead of coercing the parent into consenting to a cosmetic surgery that’ll harm the individual in the long run.
Diamond emphasizes in his article on how Scientifics attribute gender identity to the environment. Consequently, given this line of reasoning in the medical field, there is the predicament in raising a male child with a futile penis or a female child with a dysfunctional vagina, as Diamond states. In most of the cases they chose to implant a vagina in these children (1997, p.1). However, the implantations of a vagina in these children will not change the fact embodied by their genes, no matter how much encouragement, psychological therapies or even intake of estrogen would befall, none of these will change what they truly are. Human kind comes to this world with specific characteristics encoded in their chromosomes, these biological factors must be allowed to develop and function as they are in ...
A child is born physically assigned either male or female, but biologically, the child may be different in terms of gender identity. A child’s gender identity doesn’t always match the expected gender role causing confusion. As a child ...
With new technologies available everyday, it seems almost as if we can customize our children. Reproduction is no longer an outcome of random and inherited genes, but now it’s a process of creating the child that we want to have. Fertility clinics are in debate as to whether or not it is ethical to be able to determine the sex of our children. Some view this as a valid option, while others see it as another step down the road to designer babies. But how far is too far? That is a question that we can only answer for ourselves. While this article remains unbiased, we are able to form our own opinion after seeing the pros and cons of both sides.
Sex selection methods have elicited heated debate in the medical community for years. Physicians believe it is a great way to balance families, while others believe we are in great danger. The most important part of this argument is the families themselves. Some parents have argued that they have every right to choose the sex of their baby, while others petition that sex selection makes the process of childbirth unnatural. This process is unnatural in many harmful ways not only to the child, but also to the mother. When using the phrase “sex selection” it is generally used referring not to a single practice, but to a variety of practices. The practices are different based on the goal, parents reasoning, and the context in which it is practiced. Although there are differences in the degree to which different varieties of sex selection raise many ethical problems, most sex selection is ethically wrong.
When someone is born the overseeing doctor does the usual measurements, checking the weight, making sure it’s breathing ok, checking to see if the baby is a boy or a girl etc. Even before birth everyone wants to know what the sex of the baby is. Parents get r...
Gender has been a big part of our lives. Gender not only affects our jobs, schools, and passports, but it affects how we interact with people and how people interact with us. Gender affects our identity and expression. Gender is confused with biological sex, but the truth is gender is neither universal nor cultural. Gender is a classification relative to how one composes himself, and the requirement for a certain gender is subject to change over time. In the world that we live in, there are only two genders, a male and a female based on their biological sex; but what about the babies that are born with both genitals and no genital? Are they some kind of alien or just psychologically and medically ill? However, because we live in this society that only consists of binary gender, it’s very easy for people of both genitals or no genital to feel left out and not accepted since the majority of the world’s gender consists of either a penis or a vagina. The fact that we all live in this little box of a male and fema...
Society today suggest that revealing the “gender” or “sex” of a child from the moment of conception forward is a necessity. But, in all actuality to some this is an invasion of their privacy and beliefs. Many believe that raising a child gender specific is not important to their upbringing or to their growth and development. Gender is defined with several different meanings such as the behavioral, cultural or psychological traits typically associated with the one sex. The sex of an individual, male or female, based on reproductive anatomy (the category to which an individual is assigned on the basis of sex) and the personal traits or personality that we attach to being male or female. Sex is defined as the biological distinctions determined by our genitalia.
When a child is born, they are first introduced by a gender, parents are told they have a girl or a boy. The child is deemed normal and both parents and doctors are satisfied with the result. However, when a child is born that does not fit into either binary category, there is immediate concern and worry. Doctors search for an answer, a solution, so the child can be “normal.” In many cases doctors will turn to surgery. They will permanently alter the child's body for the sake of normality. Genital surgeries performed on infants who are intersex can induce many problems later in life. These surgeries are non-consensual, unnecessary, can cause psychological damage to the individual, and are not always accurate about the child’s
Gender reveal parties have been all the rage in American culture in recent years. These parties usually consist of a cisgender heterosexual couple inviting friends and family over to celebrate the announcement of the sex of their baby that is on the way. If this kind overly dramatic and narcissistic celebration for a person who has not even seen the outside of a womb does not make you cringe as much as it makes me, there are questions that still remain. Are we assigned our gender at birth, or do we perform one based on the values that we have learned? In this essay, I argue that gender is performative and is influenced and enforced by cultural norms. I am able to do this by analyzing a series of academic articles pertaining to the topic and