Statement by Australian Human Rights Commission
Ed Santow, Australian Human Rights Commissioner, has issued a statement for Intersex Awareness Day, also citing the UN.
“Some people with intersex variations in Australia have experienced irreversible medical interventions without their full and informed consent.
“In 2013, the Senate Community Affairs References Committee conducted an inquiry into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people in Australia. The Committee found there is no medical consensus regarding how and when so-called ‘normalising surgery’ should be conducted.
“The Committee made a number of recommendations that would increase protections for the rights of intersex people. I regard these recommendations as important and necessary.”
“The Commission will evaluate the current approaches to medical interventions in Australia. We will develop a nationally consistent, human rights based approach to decision making regarding medical interventions”
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