Free Sex Changes in Brazil

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Following court ruling, Brazil provides free sex-change operations

August 19, 2007
BY MICHAEL ASTOR
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Brazil's public health system will start providing free sex-change operations in compliance with a court order, the Health Ministry said Friday.

Ministry spokesman Edmilson Oliveira da Silva said the government would not appeal Wednesday's ruling by a panel of federal judges giving the government 30 days to offer the procedure or face fines of $5,000 a day.

Federal prosecutors from Rio Grande do Sul state had argued that sexual reassignment surgery is covered under a constitutional clause guaranteeing medical care as a basic right.

Gay activists applauded the decision.

'A question of life and death'
''Transsexuals represent about 0.001 percent of the Brazilian population, but for this minority, sexual reassignment surgery is a question of life and death,'' said Luiz Mott, founder of the Bahia Gay Group.

''It is unjust and cruel to argue that the health system should concern itself with other priorities,'' he said.

While don't share Mr. Mott's vim and vigor over the issue, I say good for Brazilian transsexuals. First the wax and now this.

I don't think there is any benefit to playing the "what if" for America; too many people in politics - thanks to Jesus and their mommies - are scared by and ashamed of regular, missionary-position, heterosexual relations. And "aw, shucks" to anyone who would deviate from that pale vanilla picture of reality.

The wonder of this article: "a constitutional clause guaranteeing medical care as a basic right." What? Why didn't we think of that?