Today's Battles

At MercatorNet, an article entitled:

Suppressing puberty with a view to sex-change surgery
No-one knows the potential side-effects of this experiment on young people.

True - the best data we have is only over 20 years, and with small sample sizes. There may be dangers we don't know about. But, as I commented...

An equally valid question though is “Do we know the long-term consequences of *not* providing this treatment?”. And there we’re on firmer ground. According to the best survey we have, by the Scottish Office in the UK, 50% will have attempted suicide by age 20. Figures for those that complete the act are less certain, but the best estimates we have are that at least 1 in 3 will die.

On to ConnectSavanah, and the question Can Hermaphrodites get pregnant?. This was answered extremely well, and my comment was limited to giving some URLs about Intersex conditions. And mentioning the case of a friend of mine, who has been known to read this blog.

Thence to the Channel Isles, and This Is Jersey, where legislation has just been passed that would allow Anglican clergy to refuse to marry anyone who they think might possibly have had sex reassignment surgery. Which could be pretty hard on those young women afflicted with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or those men who don't look macho enough.

I just asked that anyone who refuses to marry others out of an act of conscience be required to provide a justification. Just to make sure it's not merely personal prejudice.

Next up, a battle over theology and biology over at the Catholic blog, Les Femmes. The harm that the false witnessing of NARTH does continues to propagate, and the louder Catholic physicians condemn this bunch of unqualified charlatans, the better. The trouble is, that because they are so alone in their views, they're always picked to give "the other side" in debates. A bit like Astrologers being given equal time with Astronomers when debating stellar evolution. By saying what people want to hear, rather than dealing with Science, and engaging on the odious practice of post-modernism, where a desirable conclusion is everything, and mere facts nothing, they retain both popularity and funding amongst the ignorant. Which unfortunately has included some prominent Churchpeople in the past.

Finally, more comments on the Catholic Forum, and Theology of the Body--as it relates to transgender. Almost all the participants are people of great goodwill, but hampered by lack of biological knowledge. This leads them sometimes to erroneous beliefs.

Such people, when exposed to the facts of the situation, can become our greatest allies. That's because the thing that drives them to condemn us, the power of personal conscience, when unshackled from ignorance is a great force for good.