- Joined
- Dec 15, 2012
- Messages
- 19,741
- Reaction score
- 12,280
- Location
- Lawn Guyland
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
The parts of the body that are being removed or mutilated were healthy before the operation. They aren't the cause of the problem, and removing or destroying them does nothing to mitigate the problem.
I was thinking initially due to it being an elective cosmetic surgery. However someone on here pointed out Gender dysphoria, actually a couple people have. I am reading up on the medical condition and I am reconsidering some. Now I am still leaning toward that I would not support tax money going to it, but I am closer to maybe as I am reading.
My concern would be people who want a sex change claiming dysphoria to get a free sex change. I don't believe that every person who is transgender is suffering from dysphoria, or people who are mild dysphoria dont really need a free sex change. Now those suffering from severe dysphoria, and who cannot, and who's family cannot, reasonably pay for the operation i am more open to supporting tax dollars helping than I was when i opened this thread.
I am still reading up on this condition today as I get time, so my opinion may continue to change, but right now thats my "why not".
And what qualifies you to make that determination?
What real medical condition does gender reassignment treat?
I was thinking initially due to it being an elective cosmetic surgery. However someone on here pointed out Gender dysphoria, actually a couple people have. I am reading up on the medical condition and I am reconsidering some. Now I am still leaning toward that I would not support tax money going to it, but I am closer to maybe as I am reading.
My concern would be people who want a sex change claiming dysphoria to get a free sex change. I don't believe that every person who is transgender is suffering from dysphoria, or people who are mild dysphoria dont really need a free sex change. Now those suffering from severe dysphoria, and who cannot, and who's family cannot, reasonably pay for the operation i am more open to supporting tax dollars helping than I was when i opened this thread.
I am still reading up on this condition today as I get time, so my opinion may continue to change, but right now thats my "why not".
That's just obvious common sense.
You don't treat lung cancer by removing a healthy pancreas.
As I've pointed out it seems that it's a recognized illness. What more research needs to be done?
As I've pointed out it seems that it's a recognized illness. What more research needs to be done?
Out of curiosity, if someone has Body Integrity Identity Syndrome do you think the "cure" should be amputating their limb?
How about research as to whether the proposed course of treatment is actually effective or not. That seems to be pretty important.
And in this case, sexual reassignment surgery doesn't seem to be a very effective treatment for gender dysphoria.
Sex changes are not effective, say researchers | Society | The Guardian
It's neither obvious nor common sense unless you overly simplify the workings of the human body. Despite what many believe the brain and body are inseparable and cannot be dealt with in isolation of each other. I have no problem at all in believing that it's possible to treat a psychological condition by dealing with the body. I'd further argue that given how much we know about the body and how little we know about the brain it would be easier to deal a person who's brain is one gender while their body is the other by altering their body as opposed to screwing with their head.
If someone has a form of body dysphoria that causes him to think he should; not have a left arm, would you consider it an appropriate treatment to amputate his left arm?
The illness doesn't come from being different. It comes from having to repress that difference. It's the same way that parents sometimes force left-handed children to become right-handed. It makes them more "normal", but it actually does lasting damage to their minds. It isn't being "abnormal" that creates a problem, it's suppressing that difference.
Efficacy is certainly a legitimate question. I wouldn't draw the conclusion that the operation is ineffective given what's in the article. It seems the jury is still out.
The review of more than 100 international medical studies of post-operative transsexuals by the University of Birmingham's aggressive research intelligence facility (Arif) found no robust scientific evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective.
From the article:
That's a pretty cut and dried statement.
Granted, I'm not a doctor, but at the very least I think considerably more research on the effectiveness of gender reassignment surgery would be called for before recommending it as a cure for gender dysphoria.
Chris Hyde, the director of Arif, said: "There is a huge uncertainty over whether changing someone's sex is a good or a bad thing. While no doubt great care is taken to ensure that appropriate patients undergo gender reassignment, there's still a large number of people who have the surgery but remain traumatised - often to the point of committing suicide."
If you're right, and the identity issue isn't part of a medical disorder, then there's no reason to provide medical care to normalize the identity issue.
If dealing with the (cold, cruel) outside world (and its treatment of you) is the problem then the only "necessary" medical care would be therapy to aid in acceptance and coping.
But I don't think you're right.
From what I've read (sources I mentioned above) the transexual identity component of the dysphoria is the mental disorder.
Believing that you're a gender that you are not is not "normal" (usual, average, or typical).
It isn't evil, it doesn't mean you're dirty, it isn't grounds for persecution, etc... but it isn't "normal".
Again, to go back to the examples I used of alcoholism and anorexia - not "normal", certainly "disorders", but absolutely not grounds for treating someone like an illegitimate piece of garbage (or for treating them any way other than you would want to be treated).
The disorder comes from truly believing that you were born in to the wrong body.
Feeling that way isn't normal, and it isn't healthy.
Since you can't take the mind out of the body and put it in one that is the appropriate gender it makes sense that the logical thing to do would be to alter the existing body to make it as close to the gender the mind perceives itself to belong in as possible - in order to treat the medical problem that exists (in the mind).
I can easily see how ostracism from others, one's own feelings about and arising from such a disorder, and efforts (failed, futile, or successful though they may be) to conform to "normality", can compound the problem that the disorder creates.
But that clearly isn't the problem.
There better be some hardcore scientific proof before forcing people to have their tax money go into such a thing.
Nope.
If private insurance wants to cover it? Fine.
Tax money going into it? A lot more research must be done. I could give a flying flipping mother****ing stupid ****ing **** if you want to "Feel comfortable in your skin." There better be some hardcore scientific proof before forcing people to have their tax money go into such a thing.
Self explanatory. Do you think the government should pay, or help pay, or subsidize insurance companies, or in any other way funnel money toward assisting people to undergo gender reassignment surgeries?
If so, to what extent?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?