​​Delhi HC: Plea seeks Ban on Sex-selective Surgeries on Intersex Infants & Children

Delhi High Court Inter sex surgery

Shivangi Prakash

Published on: August 16, 2021 14:30 IST

A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court asking for a prohibition on medically unnecessary sex-selective procedures on intersex infants and children, unless they are life threatening.

A directive has been sought to the Delhi Government and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) to draught specific policy or guidelines detailing the parameters under which medical surgery on intersex newborns and children can be undertaken.

Srishti Madurai Educational Research Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides a forum for Non-binary, Gender Queer, and Intersex persons, has filed the petition.

The petition, filed by Robin Raju, Yash Prakash, and Deepa Joseph, emphasises the need to prohibit sex-selective surgery on newborns and children.

The petition avers: “The issue of sex-selective surgeries or medically unnecessary normalizing surgeries has a long lasting drastic psychological impact on the minds of intersex people and deters them from even seeking medical attention in future. This aspect is proved by recent news reports that xamine the reasons behind reluctance to seek medical help despite having symptoms of Covid-19 among a significant number of intersex people.”

The petition also cites a Madras High Court judgement ordering the Tamil Nadu government to effectively restrict sex reassignment surgery on intersex newborns and children.

In response to the petition, the DCPCR selected Anjali Gopalan and Gopi Shankar Madurai, the petitioner’s founders, as consultants to help it make a well-informed conclusion.

Later, on January 13, 2021, the DCPCR issued an opinion declaring that the Delhi Government should proclaim a ban on these sex selective procedures.

The reaction of the Delhi Medical Council, the NCT of Delhi’s Department of Health and Family Welfare, and the NCT of Delhi’s Department of Social Welfare informed this opinion. 

The petitioner is asking for the DCPCR’s opinion to be put into effect.

Also Read: “Ban Sex-selective Surgeries on Intersex Infants and Children except in life-threatening situations”: DCPCR to Govt.

Related Post