Hermaphrodites

[Faith1960]

Apparently the word is considered outdated and offensive if used to refer to a human whether you’re talking about “true hermaphroditism” or the broader category of inter sex.

While we’re on the topic of defining terms, and since you’re the OP, may I ask you to clarify what you meant by ‘hermaphrodites’ in your first post?

People born with both male and female genitalia. I guess a person could have male genitalia on the outside and ovaries and a uterus, too, but I’m not sure

 

[mikekle]

Marriage is between one man and one woman, but what if someone is born a hermaphrodite? Are they allow to marry? And if so, who decides which gender theyre allowed to marry?

This is something that makes me wonder, of course I was taught each and every baby born was a very special creation of God and he ‘breathed’ life into every single person, implying he has a significant role in each persons birth, but then there are people born with both sex organs and other strange deformities, its almost like a production line, a certain percentage are going to have some kind of defects or abnormalities, kind of makes me wonder how much of a role God really has in each persons birth versus just a ‘human production line’.

 

[thistle]

ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage.asp?number=361497

 

[Brandon_Cal]

ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage.asp?number=361497

Thanks for the source!

In the relatively more common case of pseudohermaphroditism, where one sex is identifiable as predominately predetermined, the corrective measures must be in the direction of the predominate sex determined.

This still raises the question as to what the Church teaches regarding “predominate sex”. What makes a male a male and a female a female? Is there a certain threshold of secondary sex characteristics that, in the eyes of the Church, could outweigh the primary sex characteristics and so justify an individual selecting the sex that best fits their external presentation (rather than, say, chromosomal sex)?

 

[Sacred_Heart_1]

You’re still missing Sarcelle’s point. The Catholic Church’s position has been that impotence has disqualified individuals from marriage since the subsequent consummation of the marriage is impossible. Infertility doesn’t prevent consummation and so those who are infertile may marry. Whether those with hermaphroditism can get pregnant is irrelevant to whether they may marry in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

True hermaphroditism involves ambiguous genitalia and usually the presence of both testicular and ovarian tissues. Fertility ranges are quite wide among individuals, and in any given case societal reaction to the hermaphroditism can impact whether the individual is fertile. Up until the mid-60s it was common practice to surgically assign those with such conditions to a female sex. If the individual was actually chromosomally male or had a preponderance of testicular tissue such that the male gonads were functioning but the female ones were not, then the individual would be infertile (due to the surgical assigning of sex).

The Church teaches that one does not have to consummate a marriage in order for it to be valid.

 

[thistle]

The Church teaches that one does not have to consummate a marriage in order for it to be valid.

However, you have to be able to consummate. If you are and after the wedding decide not to consummate then the marriage is valid but not ratified and the marriage can be dissolved.
If able and it is known prior to the marriage that consummation would definitely not take place then the marriage would not be permitted.
A couple must be both able to consummate and intend to consummate.

In the case of known impotence that is an impediment to marriage and a couple would not be allowed to marry.

 

[twoangels]

Marriage is between one man and one woman, but what if someone is born a hermaphrodite? Are they allow to marry? And if so, who decides which gender theyre allowed to marry?

I think this is an issue that the Church doesn’t have a complete understanding over. I saw a documentary made maybe a decade ago (before they were calling them intersexed), and the documentary stated that the chromosomes of false hermaphrodites are XY (false hermaphrodites have both secondary organs. True have both primary organs and typically aren’t aware of their condition until they deal with infertility). Now, it’s easier to remove an organ than to add one, so typically these XY children have had their male organs removed and have been raised as girls.

Since watching this documentary, I have heard that it is more complicated than the children being XY. There’s a lot of condemnation for mutilating the children’s sexual organs which I would agree with.

The Church tends to prefer to simplify the issue by putting an emphasis on the ability to engage in cloitus. And without surgury, typically these individual have an underdeveloped organs. One might dominate over the other. People are rarely directly in the middle and if they are, they often aren’t capable of cloitus.

 

[Brandon_Cal]

I think this is an issue that the Church doesn’t have a complete understanding over. I saw a documentary made maybe a decade ago (before they were calling them intersexed), and the documentary stated that the chromosomes of false hermaphrodites are XY (false hermaphrodites have both secondary organs. True have both primary organs and typically aren’t aware of their condition until they deal with infertility). Now, it’s easier to remove an organ than to add one, so typically these XY children have had their male organs removed and have been raised as girls.

Since watching this documentary, I have heard that it is more complicated than the children being XY. There’s a lot of condemnation for mutilating the children’s sexual organs which I would agree with.

The Church tends to prefer to simplify the issue by putting an emphasis on the ability to engage in cloitus. And without surgury, typically these individual have an underdeveloped organs. One might dominate over the other. People are rarely directly in the middle and if they are, they often aren’t capable of cloitus.

You’re right that it’s even more complicated than children simply being XY.

Pseudohermaphroditism (what I believe you’re referring to when you say false hermaphrodites) tend to exhibit the secondary sex characteristics of both sexes while having only one sex’s gonadal tissue (the primary sex characteristic). They either have ovaries or testes but not ovotestes or distinct tissues from both. In these cases the pseudohermaphroditism is usually obvious early on.

There are, though, some conditions in which those with pseudohermaphroditism have only one gonadal tissue type (either testicular or ovarian) but exhibit only the secondary sex characteristics of the opposite sex. These individuals also don’t usually learn of their condition until puberty or well into adulthood when infertility becomes an issue. These individuals for all intents and purposes “look” just like the opposite sex than is dictated by their chromosomes or their gonads. In some cases these individuals actually look more like the sex opposite to their chromosomal sex than those whose chromosomes, gonads, and secondary sex characteristics are in perfect harmony (i.e. so called “normal” people). These individuals are perfectly capable of consummating a marriage though they’d do so with a member of their own chromosomal and gonadal sex. The only way you’d find out that they had pseudohermaphroditism is by either performing a DNA test or biopsying the gonadal tissue.

 

[mikeeh]

Marriage is between one man and one woman, but what if someone is born a hermaphrodite? Are they allow to marry? And if so, who decides which gender theyre allowed to marry?

You have to understand all hermaphrodites are intersex but not everyone who is intersex is hermaphroditic. To be a true hermaphrodite a person has to be able to get someone pregnant and be able to get pregnant. In other words, they have to have both functioning sex organs.

I would assume, but I do not know for sure, that an intersex person is required to become the sex that has developed most in themselves. In the rare case of a true hermaphrodite, they would probably be given the choice, but from then on must stay with their choice. If I remember correctly there has never been a case of a true hermaphrodite in history, or modern history.