Trans* inmates should not receive SRS until we all can.

Federal judge rules state must provide sex reassignment surgery for Michelle Kosilek, who was convicted as a man of murdering his wife (Boston.com)

i support the right of transgender people to medically alter their bodies. i support the right of prisoners to obtain necessary and appropriate medical care. however, i am disgusted by Judge Mark Wolf's ruling that the Massachusetts Department of Corrections must provide sex reassignment surgery for an inmate who is serving a life sentence for the murder of her wife.

the judge ruled that preventing Michelle Lynn Kosilek from undergoing this surgery constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment." i beg to differ. countless transgender people who have never murdered anyone are denied this life-saving medical treatment every day. is that cruel? yes, but it is hardly unusual. gender confirmation surgery can cost upwards of $20,000 and is covered by no major medical insurance plan that i am aware of. some corporations do cover various gender-related surgical procedures for their employees, and some insurance plans cover hormone therapy and other related treatments. it is unconscionable to me that we do not make such treatments accessible to all innocent transgender citizens, but taxpayers are forced to fund them for criminals.

i do believe that transgender inmates should be treated with respect and dignity, and that prisoners generally should receive medical care. house trans* inmates in facilities that correspond with their identities. give prisoners flu vaccines, insulin, and pain relief. i would even feel comfortable funding hormone therapy for trans* prisoners.  but there is absolutely no reason why convicted criminals should receive, free of charge, medical treatment that is denied to the general public. that extends far beyond trans*-related medical care: while there are children dying on transplant wait lists, why has any criminal ever received an organ transplant?

refer to Ms Kosilek by her preferred name and pronouns. house her in a women's prison. give her a private cell and washroom if it's necessary to keep her (or other inmates) safe. but while innocent American citizens who pay for their own healthcare--or work three jobs and still can't afford more than Medicaid--are living without access to this potentially life-saving medical treatment, do not provide this convicted murderer with a sex change operation, at the expense of everyone but herself.