Bill Banning Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children Fails
intersex children. The bill would have prevented certain surgeries until the children were old enough to participate in the decision around the procedures.State Sen.
Scott Walker, a Democrat from San Francisco, has previously tried to pass similar bills over the past few years. His most recent bill would have prohibited unnecessary surgeries on intersex children until they were 12 years old.Intersex people are those born with nontypical male and female sex characteristics.
When intersex children are born, many undergo irreversible surgeries.“These irreversible genital reconstruction surgeries – usually performed when a child with variations in their genitalia are infants – have lifelong consequences.
These consequences can include chronic pain, scarring, loss of sexual sensation, and more,” Wiener said in a press release. “For three years, we’ve worked to advance legislation, and it’s become apparent that we continue to lack the votes to pass a meaningful bill — one that actually protects intersex people — through committee.” In his comments, Walker referred to the U.N.’s support of bans on these surgeries.Germany, Colombia, and Malta ban certain surgeries on intersex children.
