Community | August 05, 2008 | 8 comments

Ban on underage 'castration' divides Thailand

source: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=78460

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A new law in Thailand is poised to ban castration procedures for biological males under the age of 18. Patients under the age of 21 will require parental permission to go ahead with the surgery.

LGBT activists raised the concern that a major and largely irreversible decision such as gender reassignment surgery should not be undertaken by children and teenagers, who might regret the move later in life. Prior to the new law, there were no age restrictions to the operation, and few or no questions asked. The procedure was also inexpensive, costing only $150.

It is estimated that out of Thailand’s 66 million people, about 180,000 are transgendered. Transsexuals and transgendered people are regarded as natural in Thailand, which is primarily Buddhist. According to Buddhist faith with its belief in reincarnation, the gender of the person is less fixed than the gender of the body into which a person might be born. In this sense, men who dress and live as women are accepted as part of the world’s natural order.

Some young individuals are not very happy about the new regulations, and some medical professionals don’t see a need to change the status quo.

Paiboon Marvin, a 16-year-old business student who is now too young to have the operation, has every intention of becoming a woman, and would rather not have to wait: "I don’t think I’m too young to do it. I know I won’t change my mind. I’ve known since I was a kid that I’m not male."

The president of the Medical Association of Thailand, Aurchat Kanjanapitak, took Marvin’s side: "We should respect their decisions and age shouldn’t be a fixed requirement. If someone happens to have a woman’s heart in a man’s body and doesn’t want to keep his testicles, the change should be allowed."

What do you think? Should teenagers and even children be allowed to receive hormone treatment and undergo surgery to allow them to live in and with the body they desire? Or does it make sense to wait until individuals are older even though sexual development during puberty will often make it much harder, especially for male-to-female transsexuals, to 'pass' and be content with their bodies?


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8 comments // Ban on underage 'castration' divides Thailand

  • MissAmanda
    • 0
      MissAmanda  

    • I think it's similar to any sort of plastic surgery. It should be something that is done by adults...not children.

      plenty of transgendered people live perfectly happy lives without castration...maybe these under 18's should learn to live with the body they have for awhile and be happy with themselves before being able to change it if they really want to.

    • 3 years ago
  • mookster_07
    • 0
      mookster_07  

    • I was 18 when i got my first tattoo, and i was sure i was always going to love it. 6 years later... i would have done something differently. All i'm saying is, people don't want the same things at 16 that they want at 26. I know castration is different than a tattoo, but nevertheless, minds can change.

    • 3 years ago
  • EclecticBadger
    • 0
      EclecticBadger  

    • "According to Buddhist faith with its belief in reincarnation, the gender of the person is less fixed than the gender of the body into which a person might be born. "

      The acceptance of "two-spirited" people is also found in Native American philosophy, and these individuals were often held in high regard as the tribe's healers and prophets.

      Hmmm,

      I wonder how often our transgender children are being influenced by modern bi-polar perceptions on gender. If acceptance of difference was more widespread then perhaps they would not feel the need to commit to such drastic surgery so early.

    • 3 years ago
  • purplefox
    • 0
      purplefox  

    • I think it's good that kids shouldn't be allowed to make such big, life-changing and permanent decisions on their own at a young age - it's something they could regret for the rest of their lives.

      On a side note, I wonder why there're so many stories about transgender people in Thailand at the moment? Is it a social trend, or are they just more accepting of them?

    • 3 years ago
  • rwylie
    • 0
      rwylie  

    • It should definetly be at least 21, it's too big a decision for some 18-year-olds, but also for some over 21 year olds as well. The point is the government should be very careful about who they let undergo this procedure.

    • 3 years ago
  • abbym0308
    • 0
      abbym0308  

    • I've always wondered about setting an age limit to widely address such personal issues. Maturity doesn't happen at the same time and the same rate for everybody. I don't believe this practice should be encouraged in young people, but simply setting an arbitrary age doesn't seem like the right way to go about addressing this decision in young people either.

    • 3 years ago
  • anglcazn
    • 0
      anglcazn  

    • Personally, I think they should wait a little bit. I understand the situation they're describing and heard numerous stories about it. But I think they should wait when they are finally more mature and can think intelligently. But, I don't believe that once you turn into an adult, you're magically a mature person.

    • 3 years ago
  • anglcazn
    • 0
      anglcazn  
    • anglcazn:

      That is true. I think they should wait. My point is I don't think there should be an age when they're "suddenly" ready. you know what I mean? It's not like you turn 18 and you're SUDDENLY ready to have sex.

    • 3 years ago
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