Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

the time and preparation to come up with studies where the mind will stay healthy. If a doctor or professor
wants to conduct an experiment they should want to leave the person the way they were before the
experiment. There should be no question between the cost of the experiment and the health of the
participant.
Little Brenda‘s parents treated her as though she was born a girl, though she acted much like a
boy destroying all the dolls that were given to her. Brenda‘s brother Brian once stated “the only
difference between my brother Bruce and me is that he had long hair while mine was short. In everything
else we were equal." When Brenda (Bruce) hit puberty she was administered the female hormone,
estrogen. As Brenda grew older the details of her genetically male body started to become defined such as
the muscular neck, male voice, and broad shoulders (Goiar, 2005-2011).
Dr. Money published an article on the experiment showing his success in making a biologically
male a female. In this article Money states ―"Brenda" had been a resounding success, "the child's behavior
is so distinctly feminine like a little girl of her age, which differs completely different from behavior of
his twin brother Brian". This article turned into a published book which influenced medical advances
during that time. Which is not good since the medical field was operating on false information. This can
seriously harm other/more patients that could have been helped in a different more correct form of
treatment(Goiar, 2005-2011).
Despite all of Brenda‘s male features Dr. John Money tried to convince the parents to have a
vaginal area surgically created for her. Around this time Brenda began objecting to see Dr. Money,
threatening to commit suicide. Brenda had already attempted suicide three times, one such time was on an
over dose of pills leaving her in a coma. Brenda‘s situation was hard on the whole family including her
twin brother who would go to therapy sessions with her. In these therapy sessions Dr. Money would have
Brenda stand naked while showing her sexually explicit images. Other times he would have Brenda on
her hands and knees with her brother standing behind her with his crotch touching her backside. Dr.
Money called these types of therapy sessions sexually stimulating (Goiar, 2005-2011).
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