A primary school-age girl, Isla1, offered one of her eggs for future harvest so that her elder sister, Mia, who identifies as a boy, could one day have a child if she is sterilised by transgender hormone treatment, a court in Australia has heard.
“It’s like a pact between them,” the court was told by parent A2, who supports their eldest daughter’s wish for puberty blockers and testosterone; Mia has also expressed a wish to undergo “every surgery available.”
The Federal Circuit and Family Court this week has been hearing a case in which the separated parents—whose personal characteristics have been suppressed by order of Justice Peter Tree—disagree on whether “gender-affirming” medical treatment or mental health intervention should be the focus in serving the best interests of the gender-diverse sisters.
Parent A, who lives with the daughters, seeks an order for sole parental responsibility, which would enable Mia, who had begun high school at the time of the fertility pact, to continue down a path towards hormonal interventions with irreversible effects including a risk of permanent infertility.
Parent B, who regards Mia’s trans identification as a phase and favours a child’s acceptance of the body over gender medicalisation, is seeking shared responsibility and orders stopping the pursuit of hormonal treatment.