Management of Gender Determination of Newborns and Children with Disorders of Sex Development Using a Multidisciplinary Approach: An Exploratory Study of Islamic Perspective in Malaysia

Abstract

Management of newborns with disorders of sex development (DSD), especially in deciding the need for a sex assignment surgery, is a complex matter. It is associated with many bioethical issues, such as concerns about the rights and welfare of the newborns and the reliability of parents' consent to the paternalistic disposition of physicians in making the best decisions. This paper, containing interviews with six medical experts and three religious' experts, aims to raise awareness of the multidisciplinary approach, which uses a combination of medicine, religion, and ethics in managing children with DSD, particularly in Malaysia, to avoid unnecessary psychological, biological, emotional, and societal ramifications.

Keywords: Disorders of sex development (DSD); Ethics; Islam; Malaysia; Sex assignment surgery (SAS).