Abstract
Intersexuality, particularly in the Global South, remains under-researched. In this chapter, I explore the cultural, social and medical discourses that guide how key stakeholders, including medical professionals, make decisions about gender assignment of intersex children in India. Autonomy is a key idea explored within trans discourses including “cosmetic” surgeries or gender reassignment surgeries for trans people. For intersex people, autonomy and consent have been contested with different stakeholders often making these decisions for them. This chapter explores ideas of consent, autonomy and participation of intersex people and children in decisions related to gender assignment. How do doctors understand ideas of consent and participation? Is the consent of the individual a significant part of the decision-making process? I tease out different layers of consent and participation in relation to bodily autonomy for intersex people and for doctors through qualitative interviews with doctors from different specialisations across India.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2013). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Oxford University Press.
Bhat, R. (1996). Regulating the Private Health Care Sector: The Case of the Indian Consumer Protection Act. Health Policy and Planning, 11(3), 265–279.
Fine, M., Weis, L., Weseen, S., & Wong, L. (2000). For Whom? Qualitative Research, Representations, and Social Responsibilities. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd ed., pp. 167–207). Sage Publications.
Jensen, R., & Thornton, R. (2003). Early Female Marriage in the Develo** World. Gender and Development, 11(2), 9–19.
Karkazis, K. (2008). Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience. Duke University Press.
Kaushik, J. S., Narang, M., & Agarwal, N. (2010). Informed Consent in Pediatric Practice. Indian Pediatric, 47, 1039–1046.
Mocherla, S., Raman, U., & Holden, B. (2012). Expressions of Equity: Imbalances in the Patient-Clinician Interaction. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, IX(2), 87–93.
Nandimath, O. V. (2009). Consent and Medical Treatment: The Legal Paradigm in India. Indian Journal of Urology, 25(3), 343–347.
Rao, M., Rao, K. D., Shiva Kumar, A. K., Chatterjee, M., & Sundararaman, T. (2011). Human Resources for Health in India. The Lancet, 377(9765), 587–598.
Sanwal, A. K., Kumar, S., Sahni, P., & Nundy, S. (1996). Informed Consent in Indian Patients. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 89, 196–198.
Smith, L. T. (2006). Researching in the Margins: Issues for Maori Researchers – A Discussion Paper. Alternative, 2(1), 4–27.
The Indian Penal Code, section 89. https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1858333/
The Indian Penal Code, section 90. https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1742535/
The Indian Penal Code, section 92. https://indiankanoon.org/doc/870189/
Waites, M. (2005). The Age of Consent: Young People, Sexuality and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan.
Woodsong, C., & Karim, Q. A. (2005). A Model Designed to Enhance Informed Consent: Experiences from the HIV Prevention Trials Network. American Journal of Public Health, 95(3), 412–419.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Das, A. (2022). Examining Autonomy and Consent in Gender Assignment Decisions on Intersex People in India. In: Walker, M. (eds) Interdisciplinary and Global Perspectives on Intersex. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91475-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91475-2_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-91474-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-91475-2
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)