Appeal Court upholds free sex changes (The Scotsman)
30th July 1999 Appeal court upholds free sex changesMAXINE FRITH TRANSSEXUALS have won the right to have sex change operations on the NHS after a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal yesterday recognised the condition as a legitimate illness. The ruling means around 1,000 transsexuals in the UK who are waiting for the procedure will be able to have their surgery free. Health authorities will have to foot the £8,000 bill for each operation after the court upheld a decision made by the High Court last December. The panel of three judges unanimously ruled that North West Lancashire Health Authority’s decision to refuse treatment for the three was unlawful. The three patients, known as A, D and G, and campaigners, welcomed the decision. But the NHS Confederation, which represents health authorities, said sex change operations would still be limited by rationing because of a shortage of funding. All three patients had wanted to complete their transformation from men to women after going through counselling and other treatments. Hormones they had been taking for gender reassignment had already led to irreversible physical changes, such as breast growth, when the health authority said it did not have the funds for surgery. By then Miss A, 22, and Miss D and Miss G, both 52, were living their lives as women. The judges said there was “overwhelming evidence” that the condition was an illness. Lord Justice Auld said in the judgment: “The health authority’s policy in my view, is flawed. Copyright © Scotsman Publications Ltd, 1999 |