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Ethical and legal aspects of management for disorders of sex development
Author(s) -
Warne Garry L,
Mann Annabelle
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02164.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ethics committee , female circumcision , informed consent , law , best interests , parental consent , clinical ethics , relation (database) , ethical issues , family medicine , engineering ethics , alternative medicine , political science , pathology , gynecology , public administration , database , computer science , engineering
Intense controversy surrounds the management of disorders of sex development, particularly in relation to the validity of parental consent for genital surgery and the removal of gonadal tissue carried out during infancy or childhood. Past practices have been heavily criticised on ethical grounds by patient advocacy organisations, who have demanded a moratorium on these kinds of operations unless authorised by a court. Some doctors and hospital administrators have been influenced by the controversy and have referred cases to the Family Court of Australia, where a series of judgements have now established legal precedents that apply across Australia, restricting the circumstances in which parents can give consent for surgery. An alternative approach is to use a hospital‐based Clinical Ethics Response Group and, if necessary, Clinical Ethics Committee, which has lay and legal representatives as well as health professionals, as a semi‐independent committee of review. Finding a solution that protects the human rights and best interests of children is an ongoing challenge.