Swedish castration proposal opposed

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Proposed legislation in Sweden that would require gender reassignment patients to be castrated is insulting, a transgender rights group says.

The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights said while the hormone treatments used in reassignment procedures can cause sterilization, mandating castration for all patients is discriminatory, The Local reported Saturday.

The proposal suggests that anyone undergoing gender reassignment surgery be required to have their ovaries or testicles removed to prevent any chance of pregnancy.

The battle over the proposal comes after it was revealed this year that a British transgender patient had become pregnant.

The Local said in 2007, a total of 46 people sought sex change operations in Sweden. That number marked a dramatic increase from a decade earlier, when only 16 people applied.