By Amanda Eisenberg
Originally published by Politico on October 17, 2019
The city health department will be required to implement a public information and outreach campaign around medically unnecessary treatment for infants born with intersex traits, under a new bill to be introduced at Thursday’s Council meeting. The term “intersex” relates to about 1.7 percent of the population that is born with varied physical sex characteristics, chromosomes and hormones. “Sometimes I think there is a misclassification of intersex people,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), who sponsored the legislation.
… The legislation, which does not yet have a bill number, aims to educate parents about intersex traits and promote evolving medical standards for how young children are treated. “The recommendation in this bill is a crucial step forward to protect intersex young people in New York,” said Alesdair Ittelson, director of law and policy for interACT, an organization that promotes human rights and policy work for intersex people. “These questions are presented as surgical emergencies for the child when in reality they are social emergencies for the caregivers who require affirmation and support in the recognition that their children are perfect as they are.”
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