In the present day, each person is faced with a constant plethora of issues in which one is forced to deem whether something is right or wrong based on a chosen set of rules which we give credence to as morality. Some things are more cut and dry such as murder, stealing and rape. Others, like gender identity crisis in cases of those born with hermaphroditism and other genetic disorders, cannot be labeled so easily by categorized levels of what is moral, much in the same way they cannot be labeled in the biological sense.
According to the Intersex Society of North America, somewhere between 1 in 1,500 and 1 in 2,000 people are born with some form of atypical variations of the traits we define as being part of the standard functional human anatomy. These numbers are only associated with those born with abnormalities that can be seen at the phenotypic level and fail to account for changes at the microscopic level of our chromosomes that may in some way affect us in other ways.
Speaking to the physical changes one would experience with one of these disorders, a person with XXY chromosomes who has Klinefelter Syndrome would not be so detectable at first glance. At a young age, they lack the strength and muscular development that is considered the standard. Through the developmental stages they will typically grow to be taller than normal, however, due to an insufficiency in testosterone, they will have less muscle mass, less facial and body hair and wider hips.
A person with XXY will typically develop breasts, have weaker bones and will tend to have a lower energy level than a person born with XY. Hypogonadism, a decreased functioning testicular hormone level that tends to cause low testosterone yet high follicle-stimulating hormones and luteinizing hormone levels, is another symptom of this condition. These hormonal changes can lead to issues normally experienced by women such as breast cancer, osteoporosis and venous thromboembolic disease.
In the case of those born with ambiguous genitalia, which occurs about every 1 in 4,500 births, the lines of what defines a male and what defines a female are often blurred to a level that would make a decisive certainty incomprehensible to even some of the greatest minds. The fact is that there is no test that can be administered that we have developed to date that can speak to any level of clarity whether one is a male or a female when they are born with parts belonging to both sexes. It then becomes a decision for the patient’s medical team that has major consequences that will alter the course of the rest of that person’s life. It is actually a coin flip because there is no telling how one will develop.
It is easy to label something or someone as abnormal and this often is how we as a society deem what is moral. Instead of being compassionate, like we should be, we cast judgment instead. These are real disorders that people we pass on the street every day must face each moment of their lives.
Dan Maloney is a sophomore studying biological science and a columnist for The Post. Email him at dm933612@ohiou.edu.
