Nation article on sex change operation

[Snick]

Published on March 28, 2008
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008....406.php

Cruellest cut

Boys who want to change sex and have their testicles removed should think again, experts have warned.

The warning follows a complaint by gay activist Nathee Theerarojjanaphon to the Medical Council that a 16-year-old boy in Chiang Mai province had his testicles removed and his two friends, aged 14 and 15, were also seeking to have the operation.

They believed that removing their testicles could make their complexion and body look like a woman's.

"There is no medical or scientific evidence that removing a boy's testicles can change his sexual appearance and complexion," says Dr Supachai Kunaratanapruk, chief of the Public Health Ministry's Department of Health Service Support.

Instead of looking beautiful, boys would face side-effects because the testicles generate male sex hormones, notably testosterone. They would have to take hormone drugs for the rest of their lives.

"It is not easy to be like a woman. You have to consult with your parents and a psychiatrist for a long time. And of course you have to make sure that you really want to be a woman and change your life forever," Supachai says.

Most sex-change operations for male teenagers have been done by legal and illegal clinics in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Clinics use websites to advertise the operations, which cost Bt4,000 to Bt5,000.

Supachai says most operations are of poor standard and dangerous.

Medical Council secretary-general Amnat Kulasanant says his agency will charge physicians who perform sex-change operations on boys under 18 because it is against the law.

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

Daily Xpress

XTRA

At knife's edge

>> According to international standards, people seeking a sex change must consult psychiatrists about their mental health.

>> Before making their

decision, they must live as a woman for six months to one year. Then if they decide they really want to be a woman, they can have an operation under international standards.

>> In Thailand, patients and physicians are not required to follow the international standard. The Medical Council is now drafting a new regulation to control sex-change operations and prevent medical errors.

>> Surgery on youths under 18 without permission from the

parents is not allowed by Thai law. Those who abuse the law can be jailed for one year and/or fined Bt20,000.

[Snick]

Have fun y'all pointing out all the incorrect statements in this article, I will start the game with

Most sex-change operations for male teenagers have been done by legal and illegal clinics in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Clinics use websites to advertise the operations, which cost Bt4,000 to Bt5,000.

[PigDogg]

Those who abuse the law can be jailed for one year and/or fined Bt20,000.

In the West ,a doc would be crucified for cutting a kid's balls off without parental consent.

[stogie bear]

I'll gladly pony up the cash if it's that cheap!

[bigmick22]

you got a victim in mind?

[rxpharm]

As Snick pointed out whoever wrote this article did not translate very well!

Of course we all know this is a castration operation - and I do remember SB writing about an lb he met a couple of years ago working in an electronic shop, Aum - if I recall correctly who had this done. While she could no longer sperm, she was still able to have erections and climax - as per SB's report.

Of course while castration won't feminize these boys it will prevent the voice from deepening, and prevent the muscles and skeleton from developing in the typical male pattern. This will allow almost normal female body development if they took female hormones.

Here is a better written article from Bangkok Post:

THIRD GENDER

Young boys warned not to seek early castration

APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL

Eighteen-year-old ladyboy Elle has always dreamed of having a sex-change operation, which, he believes, would be the most precious present he could give himself as it will make him a true female, both physically and mentally.

Standing 170 centimetres tall and weighing 48 kilogrammes, many times Elle has been encouraged to enter beauty pageants. Some of his friends even recommended he get himself castrated, something which has become a fad among young transvestites in Thailand.

They told him the operation costs only 5,000 baht and would make his skin more radiant.

But Elle is scared of having it done after seeing a video clip and reading information about castration, which is heavily advertised on the internet.

Elle said he would rather not think about castration or sex-change operations until getting his bachelor's degree.

Elle might be making the right decision as the Medical Council of Thailand has just issued a warning against castration, saying that such surgery is unethical and could damage hormone growth and physical development.

The warning came after Natee Teerarojjanapongs, the leader of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, called on the council to take action against clinics performing castrations on young ladyboys.

Castration is the removal or destruction of one or both testicles. It is considered a step towards a sex-change. However, it is also a standard treatment for several varieties of cancer.

Mr Natee said he received many complaints from the parents of ladyboys who were keen to have their testes removed, possibly due to the influence of widespread advertisements on the internet which claimed it was inexpensive and the result was similar to a sex-change operation.

''It's a totally wrong perception that castration will make boys more feminine or soften their skin. In fact, it will lead to damage of bone mass and muscle,'' he said. ''From my experience, these youngsters should wait until they are mature enough to thoroughly consider the pros and cons of such an operation before deciding to do it.''

A 50-year-old representative of a homosexual group also asked the Medical Council to explain to the public the impact of castration on growth hormones and physical development. He hopes minors would give up the idea of having the operation until they are mature enough.

Amnat Kusalanant, the council's secretary-general, said a team of inspectors have already investigated clinics suspected of performing castrations.

Any doctor performing the surgery on boys aged below 18 without parental consent could have their medical certificates temporarily revoked. The owners of clinics performing the operation could also face a one-year jail term and a maximum fine of 20,000 baht.

However, the council might not be able to take legal action against doctors or clinics castrating transvestites aged over 18 who have the consent of their parents.

Third Gender from Bangkok Post, Friday, March 28/08

There is also a photo with the article from the Nation, but no caption, so not sure what photo is about.

[Torurot]

Hormone patch?

[rxpharm]

No, I don't think so, hormone patches are bigger than that. Might be a hormone tablet, cut out from the strip package though.

[buttafly]

(stogie bear @ Mar. 28 2008,13:39) I'll gladly pony up the cash if it's that cheap!  

this makes as little sense as the article does

4-5K to ruin a kids life or the proper 60-80K; what's the difference??

just one more example of how insane Thai law is when it comes to post-op laws

[rxpharm]

The laws are already in the books - anyone under 18 years of age must have consent from the parents before having any kind of surgery. These clinics are advertising on the internet and Thai authorities have not done anything about them yet. Perhaps with the publicity they may go after some of these clinics.

As for those 18 and over - they are legally considered adults at that point in time so they can choose to have an operation if they decide to. The missing aspect is the professional requirement that the west has for counseling, living as the opposite gender for 2 years before surgery, etc.

By the way, you think the west is better for laws? Just read about the story of the airport security staff who made a woman remove her nipple rings before boarding an airplane!
The Jobsworth Files, you couldn't make this up!

[stogie bear]

The photo in this thread shows a ladyboy holding up a birth control pill. She said it helped her become more feminine and avoid getting castrated...

Also - I think buttafly is confusing castration with SRS. No-one pays more than about 8,000 for castration where as SRS can be ten times as much.

[si geena]

As a furtherance of the earlier discussion, I bring your attention to this.

Thailand bans castrations

Or if you like a cut and paste job.

AFP - Thursday, April 3

BANGKOK (AFP) - - Thai health officials on Wednesday banned doctors from performing castrations, pending an ethics review of complaints about minors undergoing the operation as the first step toward a sex change.
ADVERTISEMENT

The ban on all castrations came after parents and gay rights activists last week filed a complaint that doctors were castrating underage boys. They argue that boys should wait until they are 18 to receive the surgery

The Medical Council of Thailand, which sets ethical standards for doctors, is reviewing the practise and will develop guidelines for castrations, a health ministry official told AFP.

"The ban will last until the Medical Council reaches a decision over the castrations," the official told AFP.

"These castrations are unethical," he added.

The ban affects more than 10,000 hospitals and clinics, which could face closure if they violate it.

The boys hope that by removing their testicles, their bodies will not develop masculine features and they will appear more feminine when they eventually complete their gender reassignment surgery.

Most clinics require parental approval before performing castrations on minors, but the order bars the operation even with approval of parents.

Castration costs as little as 4,000 baht (130 dollars), a tiny fraction of the total cost of gender reassignment surgery.

Thailand is famously tolerant of transsexuals, known locally as "kathoey", or the third gender. While they have traditionally been allowed roles in festivals and cabarets, they have in recent years sought to make inroads into mainstream society.

[rxpharm]

Another update on this from Bangkok Post, April 8, 2008

Bangkok Post Castration Order

Chaiya urged to reconsider castration ban order

(BangkokPost.com) €“ The owner of Pratunam Clinic has given the Public Health Ministry 15 days to revoke an order banning plastic surgery clinics from castrating their homosexual patients.

Dr Thep Wetwisit vowed to take the matter to the Administrative Court if the Public Health Ministry does not lift a ban on doctors operating on patients wishing to remove their testicles.

On Tuesday, he filed an appeal with Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab, calling on him to reconsider the order. If the ban is not lifted within 15 days, he threatened to file charges with the Administrative Court.

Apr 08, 2008

[Road Runner]

I'm concerned about the phrase 'homosexual patients'.

I assume (but don't honestly know) that a homosexual would be as horrified at the thought of castration as a heterosexual male.

I guess that they actually mean transsexual.

I hope it is mearly a case of the reporter (as usual) having no real idea of what they are reporting.

If not I wonder if the clinic 'owner' really understands their patients?

RR.

[rxpharm]

Yes RR, I'm sure there is a translation problem here - with regards to this particular clinic owner, he is likely more concerned with less income rather than the needs of his patient. This is the dr. who does breast augmentation surgery with local anesthesia!