Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Transgender inmate denied electrolysis
08.11.2009 12:21pm EDT
(Boston) A Boston federal judge has denied a request from a transgender woman to continue hair removal treatments as the inmate awaits a ruling on whether the state will pay for a sex-change operation.
U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said Tuesday that Michelle Kosilek has not shown she will suffer “serious harm” without further electrolysis treatments. The judge says he may revisit the decision.Kosilek was born as Robert and is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Cheryl, in 1990.
Wolf ruled in 2002 that Kosilek was entitled to treatment for gender-identity disorder, but stopped short of ordering taxpayer-funded surgery. Kosilek sued again in 2005. State prison officials oppose the request.
@Trace–it’s an issue because it was Judge Wolf himself who left the question open. The judge found that Kosilek was entitled to treatment for gender identity disorder. If you’re doing life, that would tend to suggest that the Mass. prison system will foot the bill. This is a legitimate medical condition. In Ohio, I don’t know if we’ve had such a case, but I do know that past failures of the prison medical system led to lawsuits, and one lawsuit in particular led to a consent decree which stipulates standards of care. Many inmates will receive better medical care in prison than they have any hope of seeing after release. Nobody has to like it; it exists as a direct result of poor prior actions. Remember that prison inmates are in state custody; the state HAS to provide access to care. If the judge saw fit to find that Kosilek had a right to access to care, then at least one other Federal case (and this is being heard in Federal court) would say that if the patient is in state custody, then the state must pay medical costs. Yes, it may seem unfair that a prison inmate could get what a regular person can’t, but that’s a consequence of locking people up. The state takes away liberty, the state is stuck as a de facto parent.
Mike Youell.
49 Maine-et Loire,Saumur,Fance.
very interested in this subject,will keep you posted on the outcome
If you murder someone and get caught are you supposed to lose your rights? It’s not like this individual is being denied medication that is intricate for their survival.
Are they going to bus women into prison for OJ to murder them so he can keep that hobby up?
I agree that she did was wrong. However, two wrongs don’t make a right.
Chances are she’ll never get SRS; the U.S. has quite a long way to go before those who can’t afford SRS will be able to get it anyway, like in some provinces in Canada and many countries in Europe.
In my opinion, that simple truth is punishment enough.
I read through this story in hopes that we wouldn’t be suckered into a debate like this… I’m glad that the above 2 readers are intelligent enough to know that someone in jail for someone who was convicted of killing their spouse shouldn’t receive the luxuries they desire. I’m certain that his deceased wife would’ve preferred not to have been killed, but Kosilek didn’t care then.
Tough luck.
http://www.citizenzero.us
I can’t believe this is even a real issue?
This person is serving a life sentence for taking another persons life. As I see it, we’re generous to give them three hots and a cot.
The federal or state or even local governments SHOULDN’T pay for gender re-assignment surgery. This is a big watse of our money. They are in jail to be punished and not to be given “gifts” to complete their lives. What about the other prisoners that don’t get this kind of surgery but because of the lack of money doesn’t get other things to make them a little more comfortable. Like better health care.