Re: Sally (Special Medical Procedure)

This matter concerned an application brought before Murphy J of the Family Court of Australia regarding a proposed medical procedure for a child named Sally. The dispute centred on the parents' authority to consent to the bilateral removal of Sally's gonads, a procedure known as gonadectomy, as part of her treatment for 5-alpha reductase deficiency. The proposed treatment also included consequential and cosmetic procedures as outlined by medical experts.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the parents had the legal authority, pursuant to section 67ZC of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), to consent to the proposed gonadectomy and associated medical treatments for Sally. This involved determining the scope of parental authority in authorising significant medical interventions for a child, particularly when those interventions involve irreversible procedures and are recommended for a specific medical condition.

Murphy J reasoned that section 67ZC of the *Family Law Act 1975* empowered the court to make orders authorising parents to consent to medical procedures for a child. The court considered the medical evidence presented by Dr X and Dr Y, which detailed Sally's condition and the necessity of the proposed surgery. Applying the principles of parental responsibility and the court's parens patriae jurisdiction, the court found that the proposed gonadectomy and related procedures were in Sally's best interests. Consequently, the court ordered that the proposed surgery be permitted and that the parents' written authority would be sufficient to authorise all medical practitioners to conduct the authorised operations and procedures. The court also made specific orders regarding the anonymisation of the judgment for publication purposes.