Althouse: "A sex change operation is funded by New York City's Administration for Children's Services."

February 4, 2014

"A sex change operation is funded by New York City's Administration for Children's Services."

The child psychiatrist at the gender and sexuality service at NYU Langone Medical Center said: "It’s not a cosmetic procedure.... It’s treatment" and "it can be lifesaving."

10 comments:

Lucid said...: The child is 21 years old, so thankfully this is an adult who can consent to this.

There's still the question whether this is an effective treatment taxpayers should pay for.; 2/4/14, 4:47 AM
Curious George said...: "Lucid said...

There's still the question whether this is an effective treatment taxpayers should pay for."

Here's the answer. No.; 2/4/14, 6:53 AM
Anonymous said...: The patient underwent the procedure in Pennsylvania last Wednesday to become a woman.

The patient stopped being a man, that's for sure. I doubt she is a woman now.

As for the other factiod in the quote? They took NYC money and spent it in PA?

They got no good Docs in NYC? Or none that are good and would do the cutting....; 2/4/14, 7:02 AM
Lyssa said...: Why was a 21 year old in foster care anyway?; 2/4/14, 7:08 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Why was a 21 year old in foster care anyway?

My first worry was that they were doing this to a child, given the agency. I have no real problem with privately funded sex change operations for adults, but think that it is far different for children. Maybe part of this is from a L&O SVU episode with a pair of identical twins. One's male organ was injured very young, and they just figured to reform him/her to female and feed them estrogen for the rest of their life, based on the theory that gender is a social construct, etc. Well, their brain was wired male, and that resulted in a lot of plot turns. In the end, when they couldn't convict the doctor, one of the twins killed him, but the police couldn't prove which one. Point is that, at least so far, true sex change operations are irreversible, and that just isn't something that someone else should decide for someone.

At 21 though, the person is a legal adult, and is probably old enough that they really do know if they are in the wrong body. Even if I thought that the surgery were somehow evil, sinful, or just wrong, I would probably give them the right to essentially have themselves sterilized (though those moving from female to male might want to freeze some eggs, JIC). Then, it just comes down to the city or state paying for the procedures. My suspicion is that there was money slushing around in their budget, with so few foster kids any more, and even fewer in orphanages, and so had to spend the money, or lose it next year. And, no other agency both had the will and the money. Something like that. ;-); 2/4/14, 7:32 AM
madAsHell said...: will “inspire others,” said Lopez.

INSPIRE??
This is nothing more than profound mental illness.; 2/4/14, 8:34 AM
Scott said...: I think it's sad that someone got stuck in the foster care system that long.; 2/4/14, 9:43 AM
Peter said...: I would like to see an argument that those who have had this surgery are better adjusted or happier or receive some benefit that's measurable in a statistically meaningful way.

It's all too easy to make "in my professional opinion" assertions.

Show us the data. If you have any.; 2/4/14, 9:55 AM
Michael K said...: Very late term abortion.; 2/4/14, 10:20 AM
mccullough said...: $10,000 seems like a pretty cheap price. It's amazing how much cheaper medical procedures are when insurance doesn't pay for them. Anyway, $10,000 is cheaper than what it would cost to keep treating the mental disorder of dealing with this.; 2/4/14, 11:19 AM