Editors note: For many years now social re-engineering has resulted in practices that clearly seek to flout the natural law established in creation by God. This and a second story below clearly show that tampering with God's natural laws leads in many cases to tragedy for those caught up in the deceptive promises of social engineers and complications for those seeking to frame laws that go against the natural law set in place by God within the human race. As you read these stories pray for the victims, our legislators, and for the exposing of the deception that says that man knows better than God what is best for His creation.
Australia's only sex-change clinic has been temporarily shut down and its controversial director forced to quit amid growing claims that patients with psychiatric problems have been wrongly diagnosed as transsexuals and encouraged to have radical gender reassignment surgery. At least eight former patients of the Gender Dysphoria Clinic at Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre believe they may have been misdiagnosed. Some have tried to commit suicide while struggling to live as the opposite sex after the irreversible operations.
But as the clinic has limited patient follow-up, it is difficult to determine how many patients may have been adversely affected by the surgery. Three former patients have recently taken legal action against Monash and the clinic's doctors.
Psychiatrist Dr Trudy Kennedy - who is being investigated by the state's medical board - says officials at Southern Health, which operates the service, told her she could no longer run the clinic she co-founded 34 years ago. The 73-year-old claims she is being made a scapegoat after recent legal action.
A former male patient who was 21 when he underwent surgery to become a women, was awarded damages after claiming Dr Kennedy misdiagnosed him as a transsexual in the late 1980s. Since the surgery, he has twice tried to take his own life and has undergone operations to reverse the operations he had. He says he will never be able to have children, is unable to work and feels like a "mutilated freak". In the past few weeks, a 66-year-old who also underwent surgery to become a woman following a diagnosis by Dr Kennedy, settled his claim out of court.
The man, who was sexually abused by his mother for seven years, was referred for a sex-change operation in 1996 despite another psychiatrist stating that "surgery would make little difference" to his life. Southern Health's executive director of mental health, Anne Doherty, said the clinic had been closed while an internal review is conducted. Dr Kennedy claims the same "political forces" that tried to shut down abortion clinics are trying to close the gender dysphoria facility which has performed sexual reassignment surgery on more than 600 people since 1975.
The temporary closure comes five years after a State Government probe found a catalogue of problems with the way the clinic diagnosed and treated people with gender-identity issues. The 2004 review revealed that countless patients were given sex changes without proper mental health checks. A second review in 2006 found half of all patients had significant psychiatric conditions, such as personality disorder and psychotic depression, but many were still operated on. There was no evidence that patients' underlying mental problems were treated or their risk of suicide monitored.
While Dr Kennedy faces an informal hearing of the Medical Practitioners Board, no other doctors who work at the clinic are under investigation. Consultations are Medicare-funded but surgery costs about $10,000 and is carried out in private hospitals. Surgery is performed only on patients who have been diagnosed as "true transsexuals" suffering gender dysphoria, which causes feelings of being born in the wrong body and creates a deep desire to change sex. Dr Kennedy believes that gender dysphoria is a biological condition that can be cured by surgery.
Other experts say childhood abuse and underlying psychiatric conditions often cause gender confusion that can be alleviated with psychotherapy. Anne Shortall, a lawyer who represents the former patients, said the results of the surgery were psychologically devastating. "This operation is incredibly extreme. You're changing someone's gender in a situation where if you are wrong there's virtually no recourse to put it right again. At least five other former patients have contacted a Melbourne support group, fearing they have been misdiagnosed as transsexual.
Society
Sex change clinic got it wrong
Source: Australian Prayer Network
Wednesday, 1 July 2009, 9:56 (EST)
Have your say on this article
Added: Thursday, 2 July 2009, 1:35 (EST)
Were these people forced to have surgery?
Course not. Interesting that the doctor mentioned in the story wouldn't have sought out these patients, but rather the other way around. Much like in the Finch case, who tried at various clinics until(learning the "right" things to say) was able to seem to be true, I wonder where personal responsibility is. People who are transexual don't just walk in and get surgery, but rather the whole process takes years, from the day they seek it till when they actually are approved. This is so that the person truly is and isn't just a cross dresser. Sounds more like people who thought the world would change after surgery, and when there were still life problems someone else had to be at fault. (despite another psychiatrist stating that "surgery would make little difference" to his life. ) This says it all, the person was thinking life would get better and was told it wouldn't ("Other experts say childhood abuse and underlying psychiatric conditions often cause gender confusion that can be alleviated with psychotherapy. Anne Shortall, a lawyer who represents the former patients, said the results of the surgery were psychologically devastating. "This operation is incredibly extreme. You're changing someone's gender in a situation where if you are wrong there's virtually no recourse to put it right again. At least five other former patients have contacted a Melbourne support group, fearing they have been misdiagnosed as transsexual.") Yes old thinking, since discredited like Stoller who also thought the reason people were born gay was due to a man not being at home, such as during the war. Didn't explain the women though but hey why not give the theory a try. If it gets them money and more attention go for it, right? Yes the surgery is "extreme" since it was created to help those bring their bodies in line with their brain or core gender. As such they are not changing their gender but correcting their sex to be in line with it. Sadly this also relies on the patient being responsible and honest. ( A second review in 2006 found half of all patients had significant psychiatric conditions, such as personality disorder and psychotic depression, but many were still operated on. There was no evidence that patients' underlying mental problems were treated or their risk of suicide monitored.) Ok first it is not surprising that many if not most were suffering from depression. First you have this person who was living different to how their brain said they should. Second is certain organisations and communities have done nothing but attempt to make them out to be crazy and or sick becuae of who they are, much like we saw with people who were gay years ago, and in cases tsill today. Als who out there hasn't suffered depression at one time or another in their life because of something in their life, deaths, job loss, relationship ending, etc. I like the last part in that quote. There is no evidence one way or another if the mental health condition were not treated. And just what is their primary health care doctor doing on that subject? The gender clinic deal with one aspect, much as a heart surgeon would not focus on mental health issues after fixing the heart.Femme, Canada
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