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ABC NEWS 22 MARCH 2023
ACT government tables Australia's first laws to stop irreversible intersex surgery on children
The ‘I’ in 'LBTQI+' stands for ‘Intersex’. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics such as genitals, gonads, hormones or chromosome patterns, that do not fit typical male or female norms.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has introduced Australia's first legislation that would ban unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures for people who are born intersex. Advocates say some intersex people are insufficiently involved in permanent decisions about their bodies, with children often undergoing irreversible medical procedures when they are too young to consent.
If the ACT legislation is passed, it will stop deferrable treatments on intersex people's sex characteristics until they are old enough to take part in the decision.
The proposed ACT laws will not ban emergency medical procedures for intersex children, nor surgery that does not permanently affect a person's sex characteristics. What the Legislation seeks to do is defer preventable treatment - things which don't need to be done now that can involve the individuals when they’re able to consent.
Few places in the world have introduced such laws. Victoria is considering following the ACT and is currently consulting intersex people, their families and clinicians with a view to implementing similar legislation.
Source (edited)
ACT government tables Australia's first laws to stop irreversible intersex surgery on children - ABC News
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