Reply to Taxpayers now being forced to pay for prisoner sex changes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele]I think this quote by the judge says a lot:

“It may seem strange that in the United States citizens do not generally have a constitutional right to adequate medical care, but the Eighth Amendment promises prisoners such care."

Doctors prescribed the operation. OP, I assume that you want the government to get between a patient and his doctors?
[/quote]

So I should pay for your sex changes and abortions? That's not adequate medical care. That's a choice. [/quote]

You shouldn't have to pay for my sex changes and abortions because I am not a prisoner. In the case that I become a prisoner, part of the responsibility that goes along with imprisoning me is to attend to my medical needs. If doctors determine a medical need for a sex change, then, yes, you need to pay for it. I agree that this seems like an strange diagnosis and I would hope that it is subjected to the review of other doctors. But, if that is the conclusion, that is the conclusion. Then, if after having had a sex change I become pregnant, I would also expect you to pay for any medically-required abortions.

Many of the reactions to this seem to be rooted in bias against transgendered people. Remove the nature of the operation from the discussion. If doctors prescribed another expensive medical procedure for a prisoner, would you all have the same objections?
[/quote]
Same objections? Quite possibly. I would have no problem if the prison system was run the same way as, say, Oregon's pioneering state health system, with its Prioritized List. The list is subject to changes each year. If you are not familiar, the Prioritized list, it has a whole bunch (maybe nearly all) medical procedures and a great big line somewhere on the list. Procedures above the line? paid for. Procedures below the line? not paid for. You could say that there is some cost/benefit going on here...some rationing. Pediatric procedures with high likelihood of a good outcome? paid for. Costly procedures for elderly with lots of health issues? maybe not. In other words, there is no right to unlimited healthcare because the system does not have unlimited dollars.[/quote]

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