Wednesday, November 18, the ethical issue was presented surrounding 18-year old South African Caster Semenya. I thought that the group did a good job creating class interaction because it is a very debatable subject. They presented a lot of good background information; however I was a little confused about some of the story. I decided, for my own personal knowledge to look up the story and try to get some of my questions answered. On behalf of Caster considering herself a female, I am going to address the terms in this blog in respect to that.
Caster Semenya has been competing in female running events for years. There had been speculation surrounding Semenya for years. However, these life-changing question/rumors were not brought to the front table until she won the 800-meter run at the World Championship in Berlin where she won the Gold Medal. After her win, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) requested she undergo gender verification testing to prove she was a female. Reports indicate that Semenya is categorized as a hermaphrodite; having both male and female reproductive organs.
What I am still confused about is what qualifications must be met to constitute that a person is a male or a female in these specific situations? As Dr. Spencer mentioned in class, there are issues in the way that gender verification test are conducted. To start, there is a difference between your gender and your sex. “Gender refers to how an individual portrays and perceives him or herself---for example male or female. It is more of a social construct than a biological one. Sex, on the other hand, is biological, and that is the essence of the debate in this case, whether or not Semenya is of male or female sex, not gender. An individual can have male sex but female gender, and vice versa” (Tucker, 2009).
According to the Science of Sports article link above, ones ‘private parts’ do not constitute male or female either. There are varying conditions that can cause, for example, male ‘private parts’ to develop without needing the male reproductive organs. There is no better way for me to say these next parts so it is straight from the article, “even genetic testing cannot confirm male or female. In fact, it is so complex that to do proper sex determination testing, you have to take a multi-disciplinary approach, and make use of internal medicine specialists, gynecologists, psychologists, geneticists and endocrinologists” (Tucker, 2009).
Definitions of the area of study of the above:
· Doctors of internal medicine treat the entire person, not only internal organs. These doctors are also called internist or general internist. http://medvotech.nurseuniverse.com/Medical-Vocational-Schools/3418.html
· A gynecologist is a physician who has a successfully completed specialized education and training in the health of the female reproductive system, including the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases. http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/obgyn.shtml
· Psychologists study the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of behavior, and provide mental health care in hospitals, clinics, schools, and private practices. http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/psychologist.shtml
· A geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics, the science of heredity and variation of organisms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneticists
· Endocrinologists are trained to diagnose and treat hormone imbalances and problems by helping to restore the normal balance of hormones in your system. http://www.hormone.org/public/endocrinologist.cfm
Even after reading all of the information and educating myself on the terminology, I am still not sure of what the IAAF will rule on her case. I do feel that this nightmare of a situation could have been taking care of ahead of time, before all the rumors began. If there were questions early on, which reports account for, then testing should have been conducted at that time. Not after she won the race and then humiliate her with accusations and chance that her Gold Medal will be taken away. As for the question of whether she should be allowed to run with females, my stance is yes. Until clear, comprehensive and universal testing can be determined, then it is unfair to not allow her to run. By science a hermaphrodite is both and neither. So if Caster is considered both and neither, how could anyone make a determination as to whom should she run with?
"I find sometimes it's easy to be myself sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else"
[davematthewsband : so much to say]
