Life Sciences: Foundations & Ethics PhD Program, European School of Molecular Medicine and University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
J Med Ethics. 2010 Jun;36(6):378-9. doi: 10.1136/jme.2010.035634.
Caster Semenya, a South African 18-year-old, won the 800-metre track running title at the Berlin World Athletics Championships in 2009. Only 3 h later, her gender was being harshly contested. The investigation of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was neither discreet nor respectful of her privacy. Caster's case has implications for the ethics of sports and debates about gender and enhancement, and for the philosophical debate about the nature of categories and the classification of people. The IAAF has not disclosed the results of their tests on Caster, and the South African Ministry of Sport has decreed that in any case she can continue running with women in her own country. But could a scientific or medical test offer uncontroversial answers regarding Caster's gender? The concept of 'gender' is partly a social construction. The authors argue that ethics may guide science and medicine at addressing such questions.
卡斯特·塞门亚，一位 18 岁的南非人，在 2009 年柏林世界田径锦标赛上赢得了 800 米径赛冠军。仅仅 3 个小时后，她的性别就受到了强烈质疑。国际田径联合会（IAAF）的调查既不谨慎，也不尊重她的隐私。卡斯特的案件涉及到体育的伦理道德以及关于性别和增强的辩论，也涉及到关于范畴的本质和人的分类的哲学辩论。国际田联尚未公布对卡斯特的测试结果，南非体育部已宣布，无论如何，她都可以在自己的国家继续与女性一起跑步。但是，科学或医学测试能否就卡斯特的性别提供无争议的答案？“性别”的概念在一定程度上是一种社会建构。作者认为，伦理学可以指导科学和医学来解决这些问题。
