Intersex Kids Still Face Harmful Surgeries, Warns New Report
Intersex children in Australia are still being subjected to medical procedures that could safely be delayed until they’re old enough to make decisions about their own bodies.
Equality Australia’s The Missing Voice report reveals that surgeries and other interventions continue to be performed on intersex minors — and why the system is failing to protect them.
“Our report shows that intersex children born today remain at risk of medical procedures that could be delayed or avoided altogether if stronger oversight and supports were in place,” said Equality Australia’s Legal Director, Heather Corkhill. “We can and must do better… parents who need clear information, for clinicians who deserve support in making difficult decisions and for future generations of intersex children.”
What Was Revealed Is Troubling: Hospitals Withheld Data
Equality Australia issued Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to every major children’s hospital across the country. Due to heavy redactions and inconsistent record-keeping, only 83 cases from NSW and Queensland spanning 2018 to 2023 were suitable for detailed analysis.
Even within that limited sample, the organisation identified 109 instances where non-medical or disproportionate rationales influenced treatment decisions, including cosmetic justifications, gender reinforcement, unbalanced assessment of medical risks and parental confusion.
According to the report, major hospitals lack consistent processes, centralised oversight, or even adequate documentation.
“The current system is in dire need of reform. Even one case of harm is one too many,” Corkhill said.
Call For National Oversight
Equality Australia is now urging governments to legislate and properly fund independent oversight bodies — similar to the ACT’s world-first laws and reforms underway in Victoria.
“An oversight body would not delay urgent or essential medical treatment,” Corkhill stressed. “But it would prioritise giving each child the freedom to keep as many future options open as possible.”
The report also includes 11 personal stories from intersex people, many detailing lifelong impacts from surgeries performed before they were old enough to understand what was happening.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Corkhill said. “Many still live with the consequences of decisions they had no real part in, and which could have waited.”
“What Happened To Me Was Wrong”
Prominent international advocate Tony Briffa didn’t mince words.
“In Australia, infants and children with intersex variations are still subjected to irreversible and non-essential surgeries, including clitoral reduction and the removal of healthy gonads,” Briffa said.
“The differences with our bodies are a natural part of human diversity… What happened to me was wrong, and I’ve spent the last 25 years fighting to make sure it never happens to another person.”
Bioethicist Associate Professor Dr Morgan Carpenter, Executive Director of InterAction for Health and Human Rights, said the findings show that claims about “old” or outdated treatments simply don’t stack up.
“I analysed recent records of team discussions in children’s hospitals,” Carpenter said. “The information disclosed is troubling and often distressing. Children with intersex variations are still not being treated in line with community expectations and human rights standards. Without accountability and deterrents, this will not change.”
The Bigger Picture
There are at least 40 known types of intersex variations and they occur in nearly two per cent of the population. These traits include natural differences in anatomy, hormones, reproductive organs, or chromosomes.
Australian and international bodies have been calling for reform for years. In 2021, the Australian Human Rights Commission urged governments to end harmful procedures without personal consent. Earlier this year, the AMA voted to support deferring all non-urgent interventions on intersex people who can’t consent. And the ACT passed landmark protections in March 2023.
Early medical interventions on intersex children can result in lifelong and sometimes irreversible consequences, including infertility, loss of sexual function, urinary complications, ongoing medical needs, incorrect gender assignment, and profound impacts on autonomy and self-image.
For intersex support, try these services:
Isupport https://isupport.org.au
Ilink ilink.net.au
Trans Hub (hosted by ACON) https://www.transhub.org.au
