Idaho becomes the first state to pay for a transgendered inmate’s gender reassignment surgery during their incarceration.

A transgendered inmate, Adree Edmo, who is currently serving a three to ten year sentence at a male prison facility in Boise for sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16, has won a court case where the State of Idaho is to foot the bill for their “gender confirmation” surgery.

According to My Fox 8:

The court’s decision centers around the eighth amendment and around whether denying the gender confirmation surgery is cruel and unusual punishment, which is something Edmo’s attorneys say would be, given her gender dysphoria. “What it really comes down to is … is this medically necessary care treatment,” said Deborah Ferguson, an attorney. A few months back the federal appeals court ruled Idaho Department of Correction does not have to provide the surgery until stated otherwise.

Edmo could be the first transgender inmate in the USA to be awarded surgery due to a court order.

Due to the inmate’s gender dysphoria, denying the inmate surgery could be interpreted as a cruel and unusual punishment.

A panel of judges from the ninth circuit agreed that the decision made by a Federal judge that denying the inmate surgery could be constituted as a cruel and unusual punishment.

Idaho Governor Brad Little stated:

“The court’s decision is extremely disappointing. The hardworking taxpayers of Idaho should not be forced to pay for a convicted sex offenders gender reassignment surgery when it is contrary to the medical opinions of the treating physician and multiple mental health professionals. I intend to appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

In 2017, a transgender inmate convicted of murder was the first person to be granted state-funded reassignment surgery.