Biological Sex in Healthcare

Warning: At first glance this article might seem political or even religious.. It’s not. My thoughts expressed here are related only to the potential effect on an individual’s health.  Let’s not start a war, okay?

Start by reading this article on Daily Mail

Yes, it’s Daily Mail.. Yes, they have a decidedly Christian slant. I’m well aware. But, you know.. EVERY news organization has a slant. I make it a point to read a variety of viewpoints on most topics. I also make it a point to read world news from the viewpoint of different countries. I read both German and Spanish well enough to wade through most newspapers, so that makes it a little easier. But for other languages, I have to find English releases of common international newspapers.  Yes, it takes a few extra minutes. I help reduce that time by only focusing on world news topics I truly care about.

… but enough of that.

The article I linked to above is about a physician in the UK. Dr David Mackereth was an experienced doctor who, according to the article, had worked for the NHS for 26 years.He was recently fired from his job for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of transgendered people in medical reports.

Now, before you say it’s discriminatory not use an individual’s preferred pronouns, I want you to think for just a second. We’re not talking about social situations here, and we’re not talking about how an employer refers to a transgendered person. We are talking about MEDICAL RECORDS.

In this article on World Net Daily, the woman interviewed also expresses doubt with using an individual’s preferred pronouns  rather than biologically “appropriate” pronouns in medical reports, but her objections are entirely medical. She correctly points out that genes associated with biological males, and genes associated with biological females produce different proteins, and those different proteins effect the chemistry of the body. In fact, those proteins cause medications to react differently in biological males and biological females.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of pronouns, accurate, biologically-based medical reports are imperative to getting the right medical care.

Why?

Let’s start with genetics. Researches have identified 6500 genes that are expressed differently in males than they are in females

Now, with there are quite  a few common medical conditions where doctors are starting to look at gene expression and biological gender in order to determine the medication or treatment most likely to work best. Depression comes to mind. I know someone who is having genetic testing to determine which depression meds are most likely to work for her.  I also know a young man who is suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations. His doctor wants to test for specific genes in order to determine the best treatment. Cancer is another such illness where best treatment options are dependent upon gene expression and biological gender.

So, let’s say that a transgender person has cancer. Let’s also suppose this person has undergone gender reassignment surgery and their medical records reflect that they are female, even though this person was born male. Which gender based cancer therapy is appropriate for this individual? While the individual identifies as female,  lives as female, and for all other purposes IS female, genetically they are male. This distinction is important if the individual is to receive the correct and most effective cancer treatment. And, in fact, giving them the cancer treatment best suited to genetic females could outright kill them.

Another possible scenario — A transgendered person goes to urgent care for an illness. The individual does not disclose to the urgent care dr that they are transgendered. They represent themselves entirely as their chosen gender. The nature of the illness does not require the patient to undress for examination. The doctor determines the nature of the issue, and makes a diagnosis. She then prescribes a medication known to effectively address the medical condition in individuals of the sex the patient represents themselves as, but does NOT work in those of the opposite sex. So.. what happens? The individual THINKS they are being appropriately treated for their medical condition, when in fact they are not. The truth is,  the prescribed treatment could cause harm.

Now.. please..don’t post a slew of comments accusing me of being transphobic or accusing me of discrimination. I am not “phobic” of any group. I believe in treating everyone with respect. To be frank, an individual’s gender preference, (and sexual preference for that matter) is NONE of my business unless they are a member of my immediate family. I treat friends, acquaintances, and strangers as the gender and sex they present themselves as. The details are their own business.

This is not rant against transgendered people. It’s a call for reason, logic, and thought.

In matters of health biology MATTERS. It effects how a person responds to treatment, and could even determine whether a particular treatment will be effective or harmful.