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[–]lefterfield 22 insightful - 4 fun22 insightful - 3 fun23 insightful - 4 fun -  (3 children)

Yeah, though even for intersex people it doesn't seem accurate. It's not as if the doctor is guessing at whether they're male or female(and for most of them it's still obvious) - they evaluate the evidence and come to the best available answer.

[–]Lyssa 42 insightful - 2 fun42 insightful - 1 fun43 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Well, not exactly... In a lot of cases doctors know that their answer is inaccurate/incomplete but are forced to record it anyway because "intersex" or "indetermined" is not an option. Actually, intersex people are the only ones "assigned" anything.

[–]valleyoftherogue 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

DNA is the final arbiter. If there is a "Y" chromosome, that baby is male. No ambiguity about it.

[–]Lyssa 21 insightful - 2 fun21 insightful - 1 fun22 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Has your DNA been observed in the delivery room? Mine hasn't. We indeed do know the chromosomes of my daughter thanks to modern pre-natal screening but that still is not the case for most births. A baby with CAIS has XY chromosomes but female genitalia.

I have recently learned here from another poster that most intersex conditions are apparent for medical professionals but some are not.

In any case: Why should I or anybody decide in those rare cases over the heads of those affected what the "final arbiter" is? And btw: for biologists it would be gonads. Not chromosomes.