There is a growing debate amongst psychiatric/psychological professionals as to whether pre-pubescent transsexuals ought to have hormone treatment and sexual-reassignment surgery prior to the onset of puberty. The argument is that such treatment would prevent the action of inappropriate hormones during early adolescence and avoid the need to later reverse their effects. For example, in most jurisdictions at present a male child who is convinced that he is truly a female goes through puberty and varying degrees of masculinization due to the work of androgens (e.g., muscle growth, facial and body hair growth, genital development, etc.) only later to have to have all these effects reversed through hormone therapy and surgery. If, the argument goes, the action of "inappropriate" hormones could be prevented and surgery performed prior to adolescence, life for such individuals would be much simpler and more satisfying later in adolescence and adulthood.
Holland now permits such pre-pubescent treatment, but not without controversy - including the question of who has the right to request and give consent for such treatment; the child, the parents, the state? So what do you think? Should such treatment be made available to children who request it? Should parents have the final say? And within what context are some of the issues that need to be considered in?
Holland now permits such pre-pubescent treatment, but not without controversy - including the question of who has the right to request and give consent for such treatment; the child, the parents, the state? So what do you think? Should such treatment be made available to children who request it? Should parents have the final say? And within what context are some of the issues that need to be considered in?
