US: California rejects unique intersex surgery ban for some kids

By ADAM BEAM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have rejected what would have been a first-of-its-kind ban on medically unnecessary treatment for infants born with ambiguous or conflicting genitalia.

The measure would have banned all procedures on intersex children 6 and under unless the Medical Board of California deemed them medically necessary.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco who wrote the measure, called it a civil rights issue and said the bill would “ensure that people who are born intersex are able to make their own choices about their health and their gender identity instead of having other people make those irreversible surgical choices for them.”

But a majority of state lawmakers on a key legislative committee thought the bill’s definition of “intersex” was too broad, especially after hearing testimony from a pediatric urologist who said it would limit doctors’ ability to treat patients with complex medical issues. Read more via AP