Zwischengeschlecht.org

Peaceful Protest #1 vs. 'ESPE 2014' Genital Mutilators, Dublin 18.09.2014

>>> Open letter as PDF      >>> Rally Flyer A4 (345 kb)       >>> Info + Protests, Sept 16-20 

Open Letter of Concern to 53rd ESPE 2014
by Persons Concerned, Partners, Families, Friends and Allies 

53rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for
Paediatric Endocrinology
c/o The Convention Centre Dublin
Spencer Dock
North Wall Quay
Dublin 1

Irish Endocrine Society
Dr. Steven Hunter, Secretary/Treasurer
Regional Centre for Endocrinology and Diabetes
Royal Victoria Hospital
Grosvenor Road
Belfast BT12 6BA

University College Dublin
Professor Andrew J Deeks, President
Belfield
Dublin 4

Trinity College Dublin
Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost
College Green
Dublin 2

Our Lady's Children's Hospital
The Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin DD - Archbishop of Dublin
Cooley Rd
Crumlin
Dublin 12

The National Children's Hospital
AMNCH
Tallaght
Dublin 24

The Children's University Hospital
Sean Sheehan, Chairperson
Temple Street
Dublin 1

St. Vincent's University Hospital
Prof. Noel Whelan, Chairman
Elm Park, Merrion Rd
Dublin 4

Cork University Hospital CUH
Mr. Tony McNamara, Chair of EMB
Wilton
Cork

University Hospital Limerick, UL Hospitals
Dooradoyle
Co. Limerick

The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children
180-184 Falls Rd
Belfast BT12 6BE
    

600 hard copies of the Open Letter were distributed at both entrances, Dublin 19.09.2014

  
Dublin, September 19, 2014

  
Dear Speakers, Chairpersons, and Participants of the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology

Dear Board, Scientific Committee and Members of ESPE and IES

Dear Directors of Paediatric DSD Clinics in Ireland

Dear Directors of Universities and Colleges training DSD Doctors in Ireland

As survivors of non-consensual childhood genital surgeries, as persons concerned grateful for having escaped such surgeries, as partners, family members and friends of persons concerned, and as allies, we note with deep concern that ESPE, IES, Irish Universities and Children’s Clinics continue to advocate, justify, arrange and perform non-consensual, medically unnecessary, irreversible, cosmetic genital surgeries on children with variations of sex anatomy, as well as sterilising procedures and imposition of hormones.

We’d like to respectfully remind you that such non-consensual procedures

• constitute fundamental human rights violations (see below),

• constitute violations of civil, criminal, constitutional and international law,¹

• constitute violations of ethics principles and regulations,²

• have been criticised by survivors as harmful and mutilating for more than 20 years.³

For national and international human rights bodies criticising non-consensual unnecessary procedures on intersex children, see the following updated list included for your convenience.⁴ Please note, that since ESPE’s last annual meeting, one more national body and seven more international bodies started explicitly criticising non-consensual, irreversible treatments of intersex children:

• WHO, UNICEF, OHCHR, UN Women, UNAIDS, UNDP and UNFPA Interagency Statement “Eliminating forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary sterilization”, May 2014

• Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Human Rights Comment “A boy or a girl or a person – intersex people lack recognition in Europe”, 09.05.2014

• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD/C/DEU/Q/1, paras 12–13, 17.04.2014

• Australian Senate, Community Affairs References Committee, Second Report: Involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people in Australia, 25.10.2013

• Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 1952 (2013) “Children’s right to physical integrity”, paras 2, 6, 7, 01.10.2013

• UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, A/HRC/22/53, paras 77, 76, 88, 01.02.2013

• UN Committee against Torture, CAT/C/DEU/CO/5, para 20, 12.12.2011

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/19/41, para 57, 17.11.2011

• Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, A/64/272, para 49, 10.08.2009

• UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW/C/DEU/CO/6, para 61–62, 10.02.2009

• San Francisco Human Rights Commission, A Human Rights Investigation into the “Normalization” of Intersex People, 28.04.2005

We therefore would like to reiterate our pleas to ESPE and its affiliates, including
Irish Universities and Children’s Clinics,

• to kindly reconsider non-consensual cosmetic treatments of children and adolescents with intersex variations (including hypospadias and CAH) unfortunately still advocated at the 53^rd Annual Meeting in Dublin

• to kindly reconsider the stigmatising nomenclature ‘Disorders of Sex Development’

• to do so in consultation with intersex organisations

• to acknowledge the harm and suffering inadvertently caused by non-consensual treatments of children and adolescents with intersex variations (including hypospadias and CAH)

• to initiate a process of coming to terms with the past as a necessary first step towards reconciliation.

We feel it would reflect well on ESPE’s proud tradition as pioneers to take a leading role in such a process, and we respectfully suggest it would be in the best interest of all parties if such a process could be initiated before legislators may become involved eventually.

Thank you for your consideration.
    

    
Kind regards

Daniela Truffer, Markus Bauer (corresponding authors)
Founding Members, Human Rights Group Zwischengeschlecht.org
P.O.Box 2122, CH-8031 Zurich, Switzerland
info_at_zwischengeschlecht.orgRégine Abadia, Argenteuil, France

Jim Ambrose, USA

Claudia Bachmann, Zurich, Switzerland

Michela Balocchi, co-founder of intersexioni, Firenze, Italy

Saïda Barkat Daoud, Paris, France

Janik Bastien Charlebois, professor, Sociology Department, Université du Québec à Montréal

Morgan Carpenter, President, OII Australia

Sabian Baumann, Zurich, Switzerland

Marion Böker, Consultancy for Human Rights & Gender Issues, Berlin, Germany (Personal capacity, affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Anne Borchers, Templin, Germany

Egon Botteghi, co-founder of intersexioni, Livorno, Italy

Tony Briffa, Vice-President OII Australia, Vice-President AIS Support Group Australia

Suzy Byrne, Dublin, Ireland

Mauro Cabral, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Glen Callender, Vancouver, Canada

Adrienne Carmack, MD, Urologist, Austin, Texas, USA

Georganne Chapin, MPhil, JD, Executive Director, Intact America, Tarrytown, NY, USA

Philippe Chételat, Switzerland

Hiker Chiu, Founder, OII Chinese, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Gavan Hareth Coleman, Dublin, Ireland

Alessandro Comeni, co-founder of intersexioni, Firenze, Italy

Mo Corelli, Houston Texas, USA

Sunny Dagenais, Montréal, Québec, Canada

George C. Denniston, MD, MPH, USA

Dr Tiger Devore PhD, New York, USA

Milton Diamond, Professor, University of Hawaii, USA

Deirdre Downs, Ireland

Rachel Doyle, Head of Development and Outreach, National Women’s Council of Ireland, Smithfield, Dublin

Richard Duncker, Men Do Complain, London, UK

Chatty Ecoffey, the Swiss Rainbow Families Association, Geneva

Marcus Felix, AG LSBT*I*, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW), Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Odile Fillod, Paris, France

Marina Forrestal, Dublin, Ireland

M. Thomas Frederiksen, Clearwater, Florida, USA

Claudia Frenkel, Itzehoe, Germany

John V. Geisheker, JD, LL.M, Executive Director, General Counsel, Doctors Opposing Circumcision, Seattle WA, USA

Do. Gerbig, Professional Academic and Captioner (Speech-to-Text), Hamburg, Germany

Holly Greenberry, Co Director, Intersexuk, Princetown, UK

Claudia Griesser-Manyara, Waltalingen, Switzerland

Yuri Guaiana, National Secretary of Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti, Italy

Vincent Guillot, Landelo, France

Kris Günther, OII Belgium and co-administrator Genres Pluriels

Bonnie Hart, President, AIS Support Group Australia, Brisbane

Phoebe Hart, Filmmaker, Australia

Diana Hartmann, Hamburg, Germany

Conny Hendrik Kempe-Schälicke, Seitenwechsel Sportverein für FrauenLesbenTrans*Inter* und Mädchen e.V., Berlin, Germany

Holger Hildebrand, Mannheim, Germany

George Hill, USA

Tino Hofmann, Berlin, Germany

Henry Hohmann, Transgender Network Switzerland, Zurich, Switzerland

Theresa Humer, OII Austria, Linz, Austria

Intersex & Transgender Luxembourg

Leslie Jaye, Reading, Berkshire, UK

Alex Jürgen, Intersex Austria

Julius Kaggwa, Support Initiative for People with atypical sex Development (SIPD), Uganda

Maria von Känel, Network of European LGBT Families Associations, Brussels, Belgium

Claudia Kasper, Munich, Germany

Michaela Katzer, Consultant Urologist, Halle, Germany

Jennie Kermode, Glasgow, Scotland

Dr. Ulrike Klöppel, Zentrum für Transdisziplinäre Geschlechterforschung, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Rebecca Knecht, Lauingen, Germany

Michi Koch, University of Oldenburg, Hamburg, Germany (Personal capacity, affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Franziska Kohlmeyer-Lemke, Berlin, Germany

Anne Kuil, Netherlands

James Loewen, USA

Julia Mac Gowan, Lechaschau, Austria

Lao Mälzer, Templin, Germany

Dr. Heinz Markwalder, Scientist, Zurich, Switzerland

Jenny Mathys, Zug, Switzerland

Eva Mattausch, Tübingen, Germany

Ev Blaine Matthigack, Berlin, Germany

Cathal Melinn, Dublin, Ireland

Sina* Michalik, Falkenberg/Mark, Germany

Marilyn Fayre Milos, RN, Executive Director, NOCIRC, Director, Genital Autonomy, USA

Dr. Teri Mitchell, DNP, LCCE, IBCLC, CNM, APRN, Nurses for the Rights of the Child, Dallas, Texas, USA

Michelle O'Brien, BA, DMA, MSc, CTHE, New Zealand

Alena Ondratschek, Berlin, Germany

Pidgeon Pagonis, Inter/Act Youth Coordinator and Communications/Operations Manager, Advocates for Informed Choice, USA (Personal Capacity, Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

AG Queer Studies, Hamburg, Germany

Michaela Raab, Germany

Kristian Ranđelović, organization iz Gayen-LGBT, Belgrade, Serbia

Jemma Redmond, Dublin, Ireland

Mark D. Reiss, MD, USA

Gabriele Rothuber, Intersex-Beauftragte der HOSI Salzburg, Austria

Hannes Rudolph, Executive Director, HAZ, Zurich, Switzerland

Sabrina Schwanczar, Berlin, Germany

Hanna Secher Fromell, Lausanne, Switzerland

Dr. Tove Soiland, Zurich, Switzerland

Chris Somers xxy, Internationally known Intersex Activist since 1995, Australia

Morris R. Sorrells, MD, USA

Sylvia Spade, Warstein, Germany

Luisa Streckenbach, Freiburg, Germany

Axel Stumpf, Freiberg, Germany

Anne Tamar-Mattis, JD, Legal Director, Advocates for Informed Choice, USA (Personal Capacity, Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Tomkowiak, Zurich, University of Zurich (Personal Capacity, Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Dr Jemma Tosh, Vancouver, Canada

Alice Troise, co-founder of intersexioni, Firenze, Italy

Manuela Truffer, Vétroz, Switzerland

Dawn Vago, Co Director, Intersexuk, Princetown, UK

J. Vreer Verkerke, Vreerwerk, Netherlands

Hida Viloria, Chairperson, Organisation Intersex International, Director, OII-USA

Prof. Dr. Heinz-Juergen Voss, Merseburg, Germany

Sean Saifa Wall, Atlanta GA, USA

Jess Ward, Berlin, Germany

Michaelle M. Wetteland, RN, MMA, USA

Alessandra Widmer, IZFG University of Bern, Switzerland (Personal Capacity, Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Kimberly Zieselman, JD, Executive Director, Advocates for Informed Choice, USA (Personal Capacity, Affiliation given for identification purposes only)

Simon Zobel, CEng Chartered Engineer Biology, Environmental Engineering, Berlin, Germany
   

  
1 In 2008, a German surgeon was sentenced to pay € 100,000 damages. 2014 another case is pending in Germany, with both the surgeon and the University Clinic as defendants. In another pending case in the United States, in addition to the surgeon and the University Clinic also an involved paediatric endocrinologist a defendant both in a state and federal lawsuit, 2014 motions to dismiss non-surgical personnel from the case were denied both by state and federal judges.

Intersex Genital Mutilations • 17 Most Common Forms
Human Rights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex Anatomy
IGM – Historical Overview • What is Intersex? • How Common are IGMs?
>>> Download PDF (3.65 MB)     >>> Table of Contents 

• IGM Global, Inc – Why we are targeting ESPE
• ESPE: Preaching CAIS Castrations and Supposedly 'High Cancer Risk'

LWPES, ESPE: Originators of Systematic Intersex Mass Mutilations
• Lawson Wilkins, Andrea Prader 1950: From Experimentation to Extermination 
• Lawson Wilkins 1950s: 'Amputation of the clitoris at the earliest possible time'
   to prevent 'anxiety in parents' 
• Lawson Wilkins et al. 1958: 'Corrective procedures on large numbers of patients'
• Andrea Prader, LWPES 1973: 'Hereditary Defects Causing Male Pseudohermaphroditism'   

See also:
• Open Letter of Concern to '4th WOFAPS' Berlin 2013
• Open Letter of Concern to '9th Joint Meeting' (ESPE/LWPES) Milano 2013
• Open Letter of Concern to '4th I-DSD Symposium' Glasgow 2013
• Open Letter of Concern to '51st Annual Meeting of ESPE' Leipzig 2012
• Open Letter of Concern to '23rd ESPU' Zurich 2012
• Open Letter of Concern to 'ISHID' Live Genital Mutilators London 2011
• Open Letter of Concern to '3rd EuroDSD Symposium' Lübeck 2011
• Open Letter of Concern to '11th EMBL/EMBO Conference' Heidelberg 2010