Professor of Physiology at University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, INDIA; Health Humanities Group; Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change.
Parent of an intersex child and Founder of Intersex Children's Foundation of India, Bengaluru, INDIA.
Indian J Med Ethics. 2023 Apr-Jun;VIII(2):117-122. doi: 10.20529/IJME.2022.064. Epub 2022 Aug 25.
Intersex people are viewed from the medicalised lens of having a "disorder" of sex development rather than a difference in sex development. This inherent indifference to diversity is also visible in LGBTQIA+ advocacy, as they were initially excluded from the Yogyakarta Principles promoting the human rights of sexual and gender minorities. This paper attempts to explore the issues of discrimination, social exclusion, and unnecessary medical treatments through the lens of the Human Rights in Patient Care framework to advance the human rights of the intersex community and highlight the need for the state to take responsibility. The discussion touches upon intersex people's right to bodily integrity; the right to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; the right to the highest attainable standard of health; and the right to legal and social recognition. The concept of human rights in patient care moves beyond the traditional philosophical principles of bioethics as it applies legal norms in a patient care context derived from judicial interpretations and international conventions upholding human rights at the intersection of cure and care. As socially accountable health professionals, it is our duty to defend the human rights of intersex people who are marginalised within the marginalised community.
双性人被从医学的角度视为患有“性发育障碍”,而不是性发育的差异。这种对多样性的内在漠不关心也在 LGBTQIA+ 倡导中可见一斑,因为他们最初被排除在《雅加达原则》之外,该原则旨在促进性少数群体和性别少数群体的人权。本文试图通过《患者关怀中的人权》框架来探讨歧视、社会排斥和不必要的医疗问题,以促进双性人的人权,并强调国家承担责任的必要性。讨论涉及双性人身体完整性的权利;免受酷刑和残忍、不人道和有辱人格待遇的权利;享有可达到的最高健康标准的权利;以及法律和社会认可的权利。患者关怀中的人权概念超越了传统的生命伦理学哲学原则,因为它将法律规范应用于源自司法解释和维护治疗与关怀交叉点人权的国际公约的患者关怀背景下。作为有社会责任感的卫生专业人员,我们有责任捍卫在边缘化社区中被边缘化的双性人的人权。