Yes and yes again: Are standards of care which require two referrals for genital reconstructive surgery ethical?

The commonly used Standards of Care for people with gender dysphoria, including those of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, as well as those standards used in many other countries, usually require that two signatures of approval from qualified mental health professionals be provided before genital reconstructive surgery (GRS) – sometimes called sexual reassignment surgery or gender confirmation surgery – is undertaken. This is different from surgeries which are similarly irreversible and remove reproductive capacity carried out on cisgender people. This paper explores the trans-specific issues from a standpoint of medical ethics and argues that, provided sufficient safeguards are in place, including assessment within a multidisciplinary team, a nuanced approach utilising a single signature may instead be appropriate.