[英语阅读]泰国变性手术新规“三思而后行”

Thailand looks to limit sex change surgery

泰国医学学会于本月26日宣布了一系列变性手术新规，要求申请手术的男性年满18岁，且需以女性身份生活满一年。这些新规的实施使得变性手术在泰国不再是随时可行的事情，同时也让手术申请者有更多的时间考虑。医学学会的专家表示，实施变性手术是他们人生中一个很重要的决定，而且手术一旦实施便不可逆转。申请者需要清楚知道自己想要做手术的原因，不能仅仅因为身边的朋友做了手术就跟着去做。新规定还要求申请者在术前接受心理评估，术后还要接受精神医师的跟踪访问；如果是长期以女性身份生活的申请者，则可以免去一年的等待期限。

Thai transsexual Punlop Tongchai smiles as she lies on a bed, recovering from a sex change operation performed at the Pratunam Polyclinic in Bangkok.

Thailand has issued rules making sex change surgery more difficult — including a requirement that potential candidates cross-dress for a year — over fears that some patients are rushing into the operation, a medical association said Thursday.

Transsexuals and transgender men are a common sight in Thailand, appearing on soap operas and working at all levels of Bangkok society, from department store cosmetics counters and popular restaurants to corporate offices and red-light districts. A national transgender beauty pageant draws thousands to the beachside town of Pattaya every year.

But over the past two years, a rash of castrations, especially among young men, has alarmed the medical establishment and prompted the new rules.

Dr. Sampandh Komrit of the Medical Council of Thailand said the new rules went into effect Wednesday and require a person to wait a year after deciding on the surgery. The applicants must be over 18 and are required to dress in women's clothing for the year before surgery. It also requires a mental evaluation before the surgery and continued follow-up visits with a psychiatrist after getting the sex change.

"This is a very important decision in their life," Sampandh said. "After the operation, there is no way to fix it."

Last year, Thailand's Health Ministry ordered hospitals and medical clinics to temporarily stop performing non-medical castrations. The ministry said that the procedure needed stricter monitoring.

Sampandh said he understood the motivation for sex change surgery, adding that he has met many men who insist they would be happier being a woman. But he said the new regulations give them the opportunity to think through their decision.

"This is not a small thing, not like going shopping. Especially the teenagers, think carefully. Don't do it because your friend did it," Sampandh said.

Patients with a long history as cross-dressers would be exempt from the one-year waiting period, he said.