Doctors Debate Genital Surgery

Classification: News

26 August 1999

For Immediate Release

WHAT

Physician's Weekly carries a Point/Counterpoint

article in which pediatric endocrinologists

Philip Gruppuso of Brown University and

Peter Lee of University of Pittsburgh debate

the advisibility of cosmetic surgery on infants

born with ambiguous genitals.

EXCERPT

LEE: YES First, it would be important for

me to make a distinction between cosmetic

and corrective surgery. Cosmetic surgery

implies that the surgery is done just so

that the organ has a more pleasing

appearance.

GRUPPUSO: NO Surgery is indicated for these

children to prevent medical complications,

such as urinary-tract infections. But I no

longer recommend cosmetic surgery

during infancy for the purpose of giving

these children's genitals a more normal

appearance.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Lee, Peter, and Philip A. Gruppuso. 1999. Should

cosmetic surgery be performed on the genitals

of children born with ambiguous genitals?

(Point/Counterpoint). Physician's Weekly, August 16.

###

The Intersex Society of North America (ISNA)

works to create a world free of shame, secrecy,

and genital mutilation for intersex people. For more

information, visit our web site at http://www.isna.org

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