Girls of 13 have mastectomies to become boys

GIRLS as young as 13 who want to become boys have had their breasts surgically removed, it emerged last night.

A study in the US revealed that at least two 13-year-olds and five 1 -year-olds have undergone the procedure.

The research team concluded that age should not be an obstacle to surgery because the majority of the patients were positive about the irreversible changes to their bodies.

‘Professional guidelines and clinical practice should recommend patients for chest surgery based on individual need rather than chronologic age,’ the team from the Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, told the academic journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The practice of allowing children to make life-changing decisions about their bodies is part of a 16-week public consultation begun in July about how the Gender Recognition Act 200 could be reformed to make gender reassignments easier. ÷ Equalities minister Penny Mordaunt has ordered officials to find out why the number of girls referred for ‘transitioning’ has soared by , 15 per cent in eight years. Figures show that 2,519 children were referred for gender treatment – including hormone injections – in 201718 against 97 in 2009-10. Among girls the rise has been from 0 to 1,806.