Fri 23 Sep 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The Executive Director of ITANZ (Intersex Awareness New Zealand) says during the 73rd Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, New Zealand representative Dr Patrick Tuohy made comments that seem to point to a confusion between intersex issues and transgender issues. ITANZ Executive Director, Mani Mitchell ITANZ's Mani Mitchell says “Firstly I want to acknowledge ALL the people who supported us getting to Geneva. Our submission - co-ordinated by our newest ITANZ intern Aych was a collaborative effort - we, ITANZ, supported and were also involved in the HRC submission.” ILGA world, the Children’s Commissioner from the New Zealand Human Rights Commission and local Geneva based intersex activists supported the ITANZ submission and were asking and answering questions during the panel. ITANZ was involved in the consultation and development of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission’s submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and support their recommendations which include “developing and enacting legislation and practice guidelines that ensure that no one is subjected to medical or surgical treatment during infancy or childhood without informed and supported decision-making that guarantees bodily integrity, autonomy and self- determination to children concerned, and provides families of intersex children with adequate counselling and support.” During the questioning of the New Zealand representatives, Ministry of Health Chief Advisor Dr Patrick Tuohy told the Committee that these recommendations are not something on the cards in the near future and that New Zealand does not currently have a legislative framework to prevent intersex genital mutilation, “there is no plans in place for that at the present time.” During the third session, Dr Tuohy responded stating that “NZ is of course aware of that historically there had been cases of early gender assignment, as was the current medical approach some decades ago. “But health officials are not aware of any incidence of this in recent years.” Mitchell says Dr Tuohy’s comments are hard to understand “I am wondering if there was a conflation of intersex and transgender issues?” They say “The intersex community has argued with great clarity and force for two decades for the cessation of ALL childhood surgery on intersex babies/children that is not to do with the saving of life. “As Prof Milton Diamond said a number of years ago, it’s important not to remove anything the child may later want. We, the intersex community, have also argued that not doing surgery for “Psychosocial” reasons clinicians need training how to have complex conversations with parents and be able to provide wrap around support - when needed for the family and whānau. “It is my understanding that this normalizing/cosmetic surgery - that draws very heavily on a cis/hetero paradigm still does go on i.e. hyposadia repair, construction of neo vagina's. Prophylactic gonadectomy .” Mitchell says going forward there are complex and layered issues that need to be addressed and open dialogue with medical professionals is key in making change. “We intersex people, are very clear we want people to have access to surgery, very good surgery,” they say, “but as adults, [we are] able to consent and understand what the implications and risks of various surgeries are.” “When there is a known cancer risk then the child should be monitored in an appropriate and safe way. All these things are complex and layered nothing will be solved by simplistic change - I am heartened that here in New Zealand we have (with NZ HRC) support open interactive dialogue with the medical profession - I think we do have the opportunity here to do something that really does make things better for future intersex children their family and whānau ... Something that also addresses the 'wrongs' of the past provides avenues for redress and healing.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 23rd September 2016 - 3:17pm