People's Democracy

SO-CALLED “SEX-CHANGE” OPERATIONS AT INDORE

AIDWA Demands Full-fledged Enquiry 

MEETING at New Delhi on July 3, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) noted with concern the reports that have appeared in the media that some well known doctors in reputed clinics of Indore are performing sex change operations --- termed genitoplasty --- on 0-5 year old baby girls. Media reports have highlighted that these surgeries are being done with the objective of transforming a girl child into a boy child under the guise of ‘corrective’ treatment for children found to have internal male organs. These surgeries are being performed apparently with parental consent at a high cost of about 1.5 lakh rupees. Surgeries of this kind, if at all feasible, are long term medical interventions accompanied by heavy hormonal treatment, and are being performed on children who are too young to give or withhold their consent.

According to the AIDWA, changing sexual identities is not just a facile switch from one sex to the other. There appears to be no transparency about the necessity of such medical intervention.  This is also a violation of basic ethical principles and the rights of children. There is strong suspicion that some unscrupulous doctors are pandering to the son preference tendency in order to make money. It has also come to the organisation’s notice that a renowned private hospital in Hyderabad has advertised that it can perform sex change operations. Thus, there may be similar questionable practices occurring in other places also.

The AIDWA has demands a full fledged enquiry into the reports, and appropriate action against the doctors indulging in unethical practices. The associations says legal safeguards are necessary to prevent such violations. It has also decided to send a complaint to the medical ethics committee on behalf of the children, after ascertaining the facts of the case.