The office of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, believes that it is necessary “to continue to educate professionals on intersex realities”.
He was reacting to the publication of an article in the Duty, which revealed Monday that more than 1,300 operations have been performed on the genitals of children under the age of 14 since 2015. Several of these operations are performed with the aim of normalizing the genitals of children or on an aesthetic basis. They are considered by many organizations to be human rights violations and several countries are considering banning them.
“It must be understood that there is a clinical reality for each case,” replied Minister Dubé’s office to the Duty, reiterating its confidence in the doctors who decide whether or not to proceed with these surgeries. “We will obviously let the medical experts take note of each of the cases entrusted to them. For its part, the government is always there to ensure the protection of children and remains sensitive to the needs of intersex children. “
Access to data: a “puzzle”
The member for Quebec Solidaire, Manon Massé, believes that it is high time to have a “social dialogue” on the still little-known reality of intersex people. “We have to talk about it,” said the member in a telephone interview. There is of course a path that has been taken for 10 or 15 years on this issue and it must continue. “
She found the idea brought by activist Hélène Beaupré to create a support group for parents interesting so that they can have access to additional information to that given by doctors, based on the experience of intersex people. themselves. “Perhaps parents should be helped to accept that […] gender fluidity – which is expressed through the sexual organs, but not only – is something that is part of the norm. “
The Solidarity Member, who notably supported the activist and professor of sociology at the University of Quebec in Montreal Janik Bastien Charlebois in her approach under the Access to Information Act to obtain data on the number of surgeries performed on children, also notes that it was “quite a puzzle” to obtain these figures, listed according to codes specific to each intervention.
She also recalls that these figures have long been a “preserve” of doctors and is delighted to see that the veil is quietly lifting on this crucial information. “If we were able to give ourselves common terms to be able to have the data, that would be something interesting. “
The College of Physicians and the other opposition parties in Quebec declined to comment on the matter.