Abstract

The management of gender in pediatrics remains a controversial and challenging topic because the desire to protectProtect children against potential harmHarm may directly conflictConflict with the ability to preserve self-determinationSelf-determination and autonomyAutonomy. Gender developmentDevelopment and management will be viewed in this chapter through two lenses. The first is that of individuals born with differences of sexual developmentSexual development, a heterogeneous group of conditions arising from disruption of the typical developmentDevelopment of internal and/or external sex organs. The second lens is that of individuals with pediatric gender dysphoriaGender, dysphoria. In both cases, this chapter will examine the ethical issues and potential distress arising from a discordance between the biological sex and personal gender identification of an individual under the age of eighteen years.