More on Disabilities: Sex and Humanity
Continuing from my last entry, I feel that our culture wrongly associates sexuality as a fundamental aspect of being human.
First, of course humans are sexual creatures. But we are visual and auditory creatures, and yet not all of us can see or hear. The blind and deaf and lame are all still human beings the last time I checked. Vision and hearing are not fundamental to our humanity.
It should be the same for sex. But not all humans can have sex. At times, it can even be difficult to determine whether certain people should be called male or female. Sometimes, there are problems with the sex chromosomes that lead to disabilities.
Why do I bring this up? Doesn't everyone agree that these people are all human. Yes, but it is more subtle than that. There are cases where an infant is born with malformed genitalia. Such children, eunuchs, would be incapable of sex. Now, when such a child is born, what happens very often -- and more so 20 years ago, when people stupidly thought that genes played only a minor role in gender -- is that the doctors decide to "make" the child into whatever sex is "easiest." Usually, it is easiest to make a female. When this is done, however, the child is still going to grow up with male chromosomes, which will forever tell this child that he is a boy, even though everyone else will be telling him that he is a girl. In my opinion, it is much better to leave him as a disabled male, then to make things more confusing for him by trying to artificially force him into being a woman, just so she/he can have sex. Isn't humanity more closely linked to the psyche than to the body?
Recently, there was a case of a young girl with major brain damage that will prevent her from ever maturing mentally. Her parents decided to have her breast buds and uterus removed and gave her growth inhibiting drugs to keep her small. They claimed to do this primarily for her comfort. They said that she would never need her uterus, and not having one would save her from ever becoming pregnant from rape. Nor would she ever have to suffer from monthly cramps. Nor would she need to ever nurse. Plus, her harness straps would be painful across her chest. Bathing, dressing, and moving her would be very difficult if she were bigger. Smaller size is better for her circulation, digestion, and muscles.
But many were highly opposed to this treatment for Ashley. They say her rights were violated. They say that her ability to have sex and/or experience romance were taken from her. But the doctors and parents argue that she has no concept of such things nor will she ever.
I am not even arguing that the parents and doctors made the right decision. It was not an easy decision for anyone. Who is to say for certain that she might not suddenly be healed from her brain disease and mature mentally? But the odds are very, very, very high that she never will. Whenever you have surgery, there are small odds that you could die from it. Yet we generally go for it anyhow, feeling the benefits outweigh the risks.
So then, these parents chose to provide comfort for their daughter at the cost of her sexuality. But they did not take away her humanity.Ashley's blog
First, of course humans are sexual creatures. But we are visual and auditory creatures, and yet not all of us can see or hear. The blind and deaf and lame are all still human beings the last time I checked. Vision and hearing are not fundamental to our humanity.
It should be the same for sex. But not all humans can have sex. At times, it can even be difficult to determine whether certain people should be called male or female. Sometimes, there are problems with the sex chromosomes that lead to disabilities.
Why do I bring this up? Doesn't everyone agree that these people are all human. Yes, but it is more subtle than that. There are cases where an infant is born with malformed genitalia. Such children, eunuchs, would be incapable of sex. Now, when such a child is born, what happens very often -- and more so 20 years ago, when people stupidly thought that genes played only a minor role in gender -- is that the doctors decide to "make" the child into whatever sex is "easiest." Usually, it is easiest to make a female. When this is done, however, the child is still going to grow up with male chromosomes, which will forever tell this child that he is a boy, even though everyone else will be telling him that he is a girl. In my opinion, it is much better to leave him as a disabled male, then to make things more confusing for him by trying to artificially force him into being a woman, just so she/he can have sex. Isn't humanity more closely linked to the psyche than to the body?
Recently, there was a case of a young girl with major brain damage that will prevent her from ever maturing mentally. Her parents decided to have her breast buds and uterus removed and gave her growth inhibiting drugs to keep her small. They claimed to do this primarily for her comfort. They said that she would never need her uterus, and not having one would save her from ever becoming pregnant from rape. Nor would she ever have to suffer from monthly cramps. Nor would she need to ever nurse. Plus, her harness straps would be painful across her chest. Bathing, dressing, and moving her would be very difficult if she were bigger. Smaller size is better for her circulation, digestion, and muscles.
But many were highly opposed to this treatment for Ashley. They say her rights were violated. They say that her ability to have sex and/or experience romance were taken from her. But the doctors and parents argue that she has no concept of such things nor will she ever.
I am not even arguing that the parents and doctors made the right decision. It was not an easy decision for anyone. Who is to say for certain that she might not suddenly be healed from her brain disease and mature mentally? But the odds are very, very, very high that she never will. Whenever you have surgery, there are small odds that you could die from it. Yet we generally go for it anyhow, feeling the benefits outweigh the risks.
So then, these parents chose to provide comfort for their daughter at the cost of her sexuality. But they did not take away her humanity.Ashley's blog