In The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Charles Darwin hypothesized that sexual selection, or competition within a species for mates, can explain observed differences between sexes in many species. Evolutionary roots Ī red deer stag's antlers are secondary sexual characteristics. In the animal kingdom, an extraordinary diversity of structures exists that cannot be explained by natural selection (Darwin 1871). Secondary sexual characteristics have an evolutionary purpose: increase the chance of breeding. Those characteristics are breast in females and greater muscle mass in males. The secondary sex characteristics differ in that they will not be identifiable at birth, they will develop over time as the subject matures and becomes sexually active. The primary sex organs are different from the secondary sex organs because they produce gametes, which is a mature haploid germ cell male or female which will unite with another of the opposite sex during sexual reproduction to form a zygote. In the female, this would be the uterus, vagina, fallopian tubes, clitoris, cervix, and the ability to have offspring. In the male, this would be the penis, scrotum, and the ability to produce sperm that will help form a zygote. The reproductive organs in male or female organisms are usually identifiable at birth and are ascribed as the Primary Somatic Sex Characteristics. ![]() Differences in size between sexes are also considered secondary sexual characteristics. Male birds and fish of many species have brighter coloration or other external ornaments. ![]() The characteristics are believed to be produced by a positive feedback loop known as the Fisherian runaway produced by the secondary characteristic in one sex and the desire for that characteristic in the other sex. In evolution, secondary sex characteristics are the product of sexual selection for traits that show fitness, giving an organism an advantage over its rivals in courtship and in aggressive interactions. Secondary sex characteristics are particularly evident in the sexually dimorphic phenotypic traits that distinguish the sexes of a species. In non-human animals, secondary sex characteristics include, for example, the manes of male lions, the bright facial and rump coloration of male mandrills, and horns in many goats and antelopes. In humans, secondary sex characteristics include enlarged breasts and widened hips of females, facial hair and Adam's apples on males, and pubic hair on both. In animals, they can start to appear at sexual maturity. In humans, these characteristics typically start to appear during puberty. The practice of circumcision must be considered from an ethical lens, especially when a person is unable to consent to a procedure that modifies the body.An adult human's adam's apple, a visible secondary sex characteristic common in males.Ī secondary sex characteristic is a physical characteristic of an organism that is related to or derived from its sex, but not directly part of its reproductive system. Like any healthy, functioning tissue or part of the body, the foreskin should not be removed without the fully-informed consent of the individual involved or without sound medical reason. Non-consensual and/or uninformed circumcision is therefore an infringement of bodily integrity that violates a person’s human rights. Only an autonomous person can consent to a procedure that permanently alters healthy tissue. ![]() Bodily integrity is violated when a person's physical form is modified. Bodily integrity is understood as the right of every human being to make decisions about their own body. Circumcision is the permanent, surgical removal of the foreskin covering the glans, or head of the penis. Bodily Integrity and the Ethical Problem of CircumcisionĪs designed by nature, every boy is born with a foreskin-a protective, complex covering over the tip of the penis.
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