Bioethics and Intersex: “Time out”. A paradigm shift on Intersex Management in the Spanish context

Abstract

In medical literature about management of Intersex, there has been considerable debate addressing ethical issues on medical practice ―informed consent, parents’ rights to make decisions about surgery on infants or whether children should be surgically altered to suit the binary gender norms of society―. Selecting the best management for the various intersex situations can be complex, and several proposals concerning ethical principles have emerged. During the annual meeting of the Spanish support group Grapsia, we coordinated a “Bioethics and Intersex/DSD” discussion group, with the aim to identify some key elements to enhance socio-health care for people with intersex variations and their families. On the one hand, it is necessary to consider the particularities of each context and the constraints imposed by the structure and organization of each country's health systems. On the other hand, it is crucial to include insights of patients taking part in support groups and their families.

Keywords

• Intersex
• Ethics
• Spanish context
• Support Groups