CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Brazil's public health system will begin providing free sex-change operations in compliance with a court order, Health Ministry officials 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.
''The health minister was prompted by the judges' decision,'' Silva said. ''But we already had a technical group studying the procedure with the idea of including it among the procedures that are covered.''
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.
On Wednesday the 4th Regional Federal Court agreed, saying in its ruling that ''from the biomedical perspective, transsexuality can be described as a sexual identity disturbance where individuals need to change their sexual designation or face serious consequences in their lives, including intense suffering, mutilation and suicide.''
Health Ministry leaders said it would be up to local health officials to decide who qualifies for the surgery and what priority it will be given compared with other operations within the public health system.
Patients must be at least 21 years old and diagnosed as transsexuals with no other personality disorders and must undergo psychological evaluation for at least two years, the ministry said.
Gay activists applauded the decision.
''Transsexuals represent about 0.001% 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.''
So far the measure has not prompted any opposition.
Brazil's public health system offers free care to all Brazilians, including a variety of surgeries and AIDS medications. But long lines and poorly equipped facilities mean that those who can afford it usually choose to pay for private hospitals and clinics.
The health ministry said that since 2000, about 250 sexual reassignment surgeries considered experimental have been performed at three university hospitals.
Brazil is generally more tolerant of homosexuality than other Latin American countries, and transvestites are featured prominently in celebrations like Carnival, but discrimination still exists. (Michael Astor, AP)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM
Pete Buttigieg roasts JD Vance and his gay tech bro billionaire
July 22 2024 1:42 PM
The AIDs pandemic can be ended by 2030, but governments must act: report
July 22 2024 1:01 PM
Conservatives' first attack on Kamala Harris: Pronouns and accessibility?
July 22 2024 12:45 PM
Advancing equality during Disability Pride Month
July 22 2024 11:30 AM