
First Experiment to Attempt Prevention of Homosexuality in Womb  - wglb
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2010/07/dreger.html
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mahmud
Good grief! I can't believe it, but North Western's article is a trolling
linkbait compared to the Time Magazine and the Hastings Center's articles,
which it cites.

The Time article was first, it was cited by Hastings, and the two were cited
by North Western, but the content becomes increasingly unscientific and
partisan.

TIME:

" _The early prenatal use of dexamethasone, or dex, has been shown to prevent
some of the symptoms of CAH in girls, namely ambiguous genitalia. Because the
condition causes overproduction of male hormones in the womb, girls who are
affected tend to have genitals that look more male than female, though
internal sex organs are normal. (In boys, in contrast, the condition leads to
early signs of puberty, such as deep voice, body hair and enlarged penis by
age 2 or 3.) But while the prenatal treatment may address girls' physical
symptoms, it does not prevent the underlying, medical condition, which in some
severe cases can be life-threatening, nor does it preclude the need for
medication throughout life._ "

Hastings Center acknowledges the medical application of dex to prevent CAH,
but cites the lead researcher's other interests in "curing" homosexuality in
girls:

" _The majority of researchers and clinicians interested in the use of
prenatal “dex” focus on preventing development of ambiguous genitalia in girls
with CAH. CAH results in an excess of androgens prenatally, and this can lead
to a “masculinizing” of a female fetus’s genitals. One group of researchers,
however, seems to be suggesting that prenatal dex also might prevent affected
girls from turning out to be homosexual or bisexual._ "

The news will get further diluted as it gets excerpted and cited from tertiary
sources, and I have a feeling Dr. New will soon have a legion of clinic
protesters, and face massive character assassination among her peers.

~~~
mahmud
I knew it! See here for the opinionated public outcry:
<http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Maria_New.html>

All her feedback was from yesterday. The wider this news circulates the more
scarce information on her research will become. In her own words, here are the
disorders she treats, which doesn't mention homosexuality:

<http://www.newchf.org/disorders.php>

