Please give trans people more medical attention, Finnish Christian Democrats say
A partially completed passport application, with an “X” gender marker, is seen on a computer monitor. Photo AFP, Stefani Reynolds
Northern Europe
Finnish Christian Democrats are critical of a new law that would give trans people self-determination. “The concept of gender would empty its meaning”.
By April 3th, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health requested statements on a draft government bill to strengthen gender. The draft proposal proposes to remove the current requirement of infertility and to separate medical treatment from legal sex correction. The gender could be therefore be changed by an adult who feels that they belong to the wrong sex.
The Christian Democratic Parliament Group is not happy with the proposal. According to them, these liberalisations would empty the meaning of the concept of gender. The politicians issued a statement on the draft motion, highlighting numerous problems. According to the MP’s, removing a required medical examination for gender reassignment would be “a disservice to those who experience gender conflict. Encountering a health care professional during the process is always in the best interest of a person experiencing gender conflict. Removing a medical record can weaken the position of a person experiencing gender conflict.”
The Christian Democrats point out that many people who experience conflict have many challenges, such as neuropsychiatric, mental health, and personality, that should be addressed before gender reassignment.
According to the bill, in the future, the title describing the parenthood of the person who gave birth to the child could be changed to a father. To take account of such situations, it is proposed to amend the parental provisions of the various laws to refer to “the one who has given birth” instead of the mother.
According to the politicians, the bill could increase the potential for sexual harassment against women.
The bill will now be discussed. When it comes into parliament and passes the vote, it is assumed that it will enter into force at the beginning of 2023.
Sterilised
Unlike other Scandinavian countries, Finland requires transgender people to first be sterilised or infertile before applying for legal gender recognition. A recommendation from the UN Human Rights Council to eliminate the sterilisation requirement was rejected by the Finnish Government in 2017. Sakris Kupila, a transgender activist and medical student, was denied a legal gender reassignment after refusing to undergo this process, campaigning with Amnesty International to demand a change to the law. Transgender people must also receive a mental disorder diagnosis to have their legal gender reassigned.
On April 6, 2021, a citizens’ initiative suggested changes to the transgender law, such as removing the sterilisation requirement. It achieved the required 50.000 signatures in a day. The initiative was sent to parliament on September 24.
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