La reapropiación del principio de benevolencia en el discurso médico sobre el espectro intersexual

Abstract

This paper examines the use of bioethical principles in the official medical discourse for the surgical management of these cases. Educational materials on video from the American Association of Medical Schools on ‘differences in sexual development’ were subjected to semi-quantitative analysis. Digital documents available on the web were revised to catalog Latin American countries that allow the change of name and registered sex without the prerequisite of genital surgeries. The reconceptualization of the principle of benevolence from medical humanism is used as a rhetorical strategy to privilege the biotechnical gaze of expert knowledge and to ensure the clinical management of the intersex spectrum. In contrast, the public policy of ten Latin American countries gives priority to principles of bioethics and human rights by not requiring genital surgeries. The principle of benevolence in the official medical discourse of the United States is a failed act by omitting genital surgeries from the discussion and by continuing to privilege expert knowledge. The intersex spectrum allows us to study the intersectionality between sex/gender, bioethics and human rights and reaffirms the need to include these issues in academic training from our latitudes