Israeli medical staff and the prenatal diagnosis of intersex fetuses
Type de matériel :
47
While the medical management of intersexuality occurs mostly after birth, it has become possible to screen this condition during pregnancy due to recent developments in prenatal diagnosis. Israel, where the use of these new techniques is frequent, is an interesting place to study the medical apparatus regulating potential atypical sex in fetuses. The ability to see and examine, in uterus, a foetus’ genitals and sexual chromosomes, produces not only new medical questions, but also political and sociological ones, which this paper will address. Indeed, much tension arises around intersex diagnosis. This paper will examine how the medical staff of a large Israeli hospital describes and regulates such cases, as well as the standards and norms that guide their judgments. The example of the micropenis is particularly interesting in terms of understanding the uncertainty and the gender norms framing the thoughts and practices of the medical staff on issues concerning sex.
Réseaux sociaux