The Unlawfulness of Genital Mutilation Operations Performed On Intersex Minor Who Do Not Have The Capacity of Judgement In Turkey
Gülşah Vardar HamamcıoğluAn intersex person is someone who is born with sex characteristics that do not strictly conform to the biological sex categories of male or female, but fall into both categories. Although strict biological gender rules define a female as having XX chromosomes, ovaries, and high levels of the hormone oestrogen, they define a male as having XY chromosomes, testes, and high levels of hormone androgen. An intersex person does not fit the biological definition of a male or female in terms of chromosomes, genital organs, and/or hormonal structure from birth. Being intersex is not, in fact, a disease, but the physical fact that a person can exist with sex characteristics other than male or female. Nevertheless, since the mid-20th century, intersexuality has been classified as a disease, and medical professionals have attempted to treat it. In the 1990s, intersex people who were subjected to the operation and who are now adults, started to organise themselves to work to stop the operations performed on intersex minors and to prevent discrimination against intersex people. It is possible to say that these efforts have been successful to some extent, although not to a great extent. As will be discussed in this study, some countries have made changes to their legal systems and banned operations, while others have made regulations allowing the registration of a third gender in the civil registry. As understood from the decisions of Court of Appeal, intersex minors in Turkey are also exposed to unlawful so-called “corrective operation” with the advice of medical professionals because of the concerns of legal representatives and social pressure. This study titled “The Unlawfulness of Genital Mutilation Operation Performed On Intersex Minor Who Do Not Have The Capacity Of Judgement in Turkey” was written deductively and based on the assumption that genital mutilation operations performed on intersex minors are unlawful. This is because the study will examine the unlawful aspects of the operations and ongoing treatments that are performed on intersex minors and will be argued de lege ferenda with comparative law.
Türkiye’de Ayırt Etme Gücü Olmayan İnterseks Küçüğe Uygulanan Genital Mutilasyon Operasyonlarının Hukuka Aykırılığı
Gülşah Vardar Hamamcıoğluİnterseks birey, biyolojik cinsiyet kategorisindeki erkek ya da dişi kategorilerine katı şekilde uymayan, her iki kategorideki cinsiyet özellikleri ile doğmuş olan bireydir. Katı biyolojik cinsiyet kuralları dişiyi XX kromozomlarına, yumurtalıklara ve yüksek östrojen hormonuna sahip birey olarak tanımlarken; erkeği XY kromozomlarına, testislere ve yüksek androjen hormonuna sahip birey olarak tanımlamaktadır. İnterseks birey ise doğumdan itibaren kromozomlar, genital organlar ve/veya hormonal yapı bakımından biyolojinin dişi veya erkek tanımlarına uymaz. İnterseks olma, temelde bir hastalık olmayıp insanın dişi ya da erkekten başka cinsiyet özellikleriyle de var olabileceği fiziksel gerçeğini ortaya koymaktadır. Buna rağmen 20. yüzyılın ortalarından itibaren interseksielüte hastalık olarak sınıflandırılmış ve tıp profesyonelleri tarafından tedavi edilmeye çalışılmıştır. 1990’lı yıllarda ise operasyona maruz kalan ve artık yetişkin olan interseks bireyler örgütlenmeye başlayarak, interseks küçüğe uygulanan operasyonların durdurulması ve interseks bireylerin maruz kaldığı ayrımcılığın önlenmesi amacıyla çalışmalar yapmaya başlamıştır. Bu örgütlenmenin büyük oranda olmasa da bir ölçüde başarılı olduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Zira bu çalışmada ele alınacağı üzere, zaman içinde bazı ülkeler hukuk sistemlerinde değişiklik yaparak operasyonları yasaklamışlar, bazıları ise üçüncü bir cinsiyetin nüfus kayıtlarına tesciline imkân veren düzenlemeler yapmışlardır. Türkiye’de ise interseks küçüğün, tıp profesyonellerinin tavsiyesi, yasal temsilcilerin kaygıları ve toplumsal baskılar nedeniyle hukuka aykırı “düzeltici operasyon” adlı operasyonlara maruz bırakıldığı Yargıtay kararlarından anlaşılmaktadır. “Türkiye’de Ayırt Etme Gücü Olmayan İnterseks Küçüğe Uygulanan Genital Mutilasyon Operasyonlarının Hukuka Aykırılığı” başlıklı bu çalışma da tümdengelim yöntemi ile ve interseks küçüğe uygulanan operasyonlarının hukuka aykırı olduğu kabulünden hareketle kaleme alınmıştır. Zira çalışmada interseks küçüğe uygulanan operasyon ve devam eden tedavilerde hukuka aykırılığın hangi yönlerden ortaya çıktığı irdelenecek, olması gereken ideal hukuk üzerine karıştırmalı hukuktan yararlanarak akıl yürütülecektir.
In Turkey, as far as can be discerned from the decisions of the Court of Appeal, whether a minor is intersex or not is not recognised at the time of birth, it is only discovered later, than the (so-called) dominant gender of the minor is determined with the guidance of medical professionals, and the minor is subjected to an operation. After this medical operation, the legal representatives apply to the court with the demand to change the name of the minor and the gender stated on their identity card. Additionally, as has been seen in some decisions, local courts have rejected such demands on the grounds of Article 40 of the Turkish Civil Code. According to this provision, a person who wants to change their gender must reach the age of eighteen.
The decisions of the Court of Appeal may be considered correct from a limited and narrow perspective. In other words, if an intersex minor who has already been subjected to a medical operation, together with medical professionals and parents, and if the gender of the minor is defined as female or male, it will of course be necessary to correct the record in the civil registry. Naturally, it may be contrary to the interests of the minors if they identify as female but continue to have a male name and if they identify as male but continue to have a female name. The operations to which the minor is subjected are unjust and unlawful.
In Turkey, intersex minors are exposed to so-called “corrective operation” with the advice of medical professionals because of the concerns of legal representatives and social pressure. The genital mutilation operation and subsequent treatments performed on the intersex minor serve the interests of the parents rather than the interests of the minor. The pressure to make things legible to society and the possibility of future experiences almost force parents to consent to this operation, and the pressure to define a minor as female or male is exerted through the guidance of medical professionals. However, these reasons do not change the fact that the operation was unlawful.
In this study, the unlawfulness of this corrective operation and subsequent treatments performed on the intersex minors is analysed. This study draws attention to reports of the European Union, the United Nations, and many intersex organisations, as well as to the laws of the countries that regulate this issue. However, the Swiss Civil Code, from which the Turkish Civil Code is derived and largely follows, has not been amended to prohibit operations on intersex minors. Additionally, The Swiss Civil Code does not yet permit the registration of a third gender. Neither legislative changes in German Civil Law nor legal regulations in other European countries will be considered guidelines for Turkish Civil Law. Of course, a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights by an intersex person who has been subjected to the operation and Turkey’s conviction in such a case could constitute a driving force for legislative change. However, no lawsuit has been filed yet.
What needs to be done is to prohibit operations that are carried out with the consent of the legal representatives. In addition, regulations should be established that the operation cannot be performed before the age of eighteen or before the age at which minors can express their will. Although it is very difficult to expect legislative changes in Turkey in the near future, there is always hope.
