Evangelists seek sex-change ban
By Victoria Combe
SEX-CHANGE operations should be halted, a Christian umbrella group says in a highly-critical report on transsexuality to be published next week.
The Evangelical Alliance, which represents one million members in Britain, claims that surgery is “unnecessary” and transsexuals can be healed in other ways. The 100-page report, which includes contributions from doctors, lawyers and theologians, argues that transsexuals should be given “holistic” treatment for their spiritual and their mental health.
An alliance spokesman said: “Transsexuals are, we believe, confused about their identity and the correct response is an holistic one, which emphasises psychosomatic unity without recourse to surgery. It is a condition that cannot be cured by the surgeon getting the knife out.”
The report calls for sex-change operations to be stopped and an independent inquiry into transsexuality to be carried out by the Chief Medical Officer. Clare McNab, a transsexual and spokesman for Press for Change, attacked the report yesterday for failing to include positive evidence from transsexuals. She said: “I offered to speak to the alliance but they were not interested. They have only talked to transsexuals who are unhappy.”
She said: “It is like writing a report on the Catholic Church but only speaking to those who were abused by priests.” There are estimated to be 2,500 to 5,000 transsexuals in Britain. The NHS conducts sex-change operations for men and women who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a recognised medical condition.
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29 November 2000: Sex-change vicar tells how her prayers have been answered
14 August 2000: RAF navigator has sex swap
15 July 2000: School bursar to return as woman
14 May 2000: Transsexual weddings are condemned
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