ATTENTION MEDIA & OTHERS SEEKING INTERVIEWS!
If you represent a media company, are a student writing a report or anyone interested in interviewing our visitors, please seek permission (see email address at the bottom of the page) before posting your requests or emailing solicitations for any talk show, magazine, thesis, census or other interview on any message board on this site. If not, your posts WILL be removed. Please respect the privacy of our members.
re: re: The lies that are told--taken from public testimony and information Feb. 9th, 2005 2:11am
The website of the city of San Francisco is http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/
The public hearing was held May 27th, 2004 in response to claims by those who had surgery that their basic civil and human rights had been violated. Testimony was received by those who had life and body changing surgery done on their bodies without their consent, parents who claimed they were not given full information, therapists and counselors talking about some of the damage they had seen in people who were subjected to surgery and secrecy. It was at that public hearing that Dr. Baskin made his erroneous statements.
A findings/recommendations report was issued as a result of the hearing. The full Human Rights Commission approved it last month on January 27, 2005 contingent upon some minor changes (mostly grammatical) which do not alter the intent of the document. Once the changes are made and if the commission decides it doesn't need a revote because the content and intent hasn't changed, the document along with supporting evidence (videotapes or transcripts of the hearing and evidence gathered during the course of the process), it will be made available online.
Bodies Like Ours, ISNA, and Intersex Initiative are planning to hold a joint news conference when the report is released in its final form.
While the hearing was not held in response to malpractice suits, or claims of illegality, it was done because of the claims of human rights violations that cosmetic surgery done without consent of the person it is done on. San Francisco, like any government body, has an interest and responsibility in protecting the human rights of its citizens. Since human rights violation claims were made by their constituents, they began an investigation.
The overall impact the report will have remains to be seen. I understand that some San Francisco medical facilities are re-examining their procedures regarding informed consent and the process that occurs when a child with intersex is born at their facility.
One very troubling aspect of the medical testimony provided is it brings into question research done by a physician who failed to be honest at the public hearing. My burning question wonders where else has he failed to be honest. Is this reason to question his past research?
Ironically, there were many physicians who are supporters of the current surgery focused protocol who were asked to submit testimony and none with the exception of the one I wrote about did. Many who are proponents of change did submit testimony. Further, there was a plethora of announcements made outside of the City of SF alerting the general public to the hearing with the hope of persuading those who think surgery is a good idea to submit testimony in writing or to attend—none did.
