Toze, Michael
(2018)
The risky womb and the unthinkability of the pregnant man: addressing trans masculine hysterectomy.
Feminism & Psychology, 28
(2).
pp. 194-211.
ISSN 0959-3535
| 30544 Main Document - No Track changes - Revision 3.pdf | | ![[img]](http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/30544/7.hassmallThumbnailVersion/30544%20Main%20Document%20-%20No%20Track%20changes%20-%20Revision%203.pdf) [Download] |
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Item Type: | Article |
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Item Status: | Live Archive |
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Abstract
In April 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that requiring trans people to undergo sterilisation in order to grant legal gender recognition was a breach of human rights. In the UK, sterilisation has never been a legal requirement for trans people. However, hysterectomy and salpingo-oopherectomy have been strongly encouraged for trans masculine people on medical grounds, although the clinical evidence for current recommendations is weak. Within this article I analyse the issue from a feminist perspective and argue that current presumptions in favour of surgical intervention are influenced by the history of medical interventions to “fix” bodies perceived as female, coupled with a strong social taboo against the pregnant man. As a consequence, medical and legal frameworks are not necessarily facilitating optimal outcomes for the individual. I suggest that practices in this regard should be critically examined, with a view to developing more tailored, person-centred practices and facilitating informed choice.
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