The Battle Lines of Sexual Politics and Medical Morality If, as the Chinese proverb has it, the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper names, then the nomencla-torial world of genital variations suggests a wisdom-free zone. "Hermaphrodites" with "ambiguous genitalia" gave way to "intersex" and "disorders of sexual development." We cannot agree what to call these things. Or why. Naming the condition itself is just the beginning. Things get worse with potential treatment. Is treatment to prevent the anatomic abnormalities associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) a form of fetal abuse that causes harm without benefit, as Hilde Linde-mann and colleagues have claimed? Or is such treatment a cautious and appropriate attempt to avoid potentially life-threatening genital abnormalities? Should a device that measures clitoral sensation be called a "vibrator" or a "biothesiometer?" Is the use of such a device essential medical science, or is it the sexual abuse of little girls?
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