Court overrules : Trans prisoner Michelle Kosilek will not get taxpayer funded SRS

The news that convicted murderer transgender woman Michelle Kosilek would get taxpayer funded SRS sparked riotous debate both within and outside of our community.

What do you think? Poll at the bottom of the page.

The Boston Globe reports that the First Circuit reversed a 2012 decision by US District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf, who ordered the surgery after finding the state’s failure to provide it to Michelle Kosilek, 65, violated the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

“After carefully considering the community standard of medical care, the adequacy of the provided treatment, and the valid security concerns articulated by the DOC [Department of Correction], we conclude that the district court erred,” Judge Juan R. Torruella wrote in the majority opinion.

Joseph L. Sulman, an attorney for Kosilek, blasted the ruling. He said Kosilek has not decided whether to seek a hearing before the US Supreme Court, which would be her final avenue of appeal.

.“It’s a tragic decision on a personal level for Michelle Kosilek,” Sulman said. “But on a more global level, it’s a horrendous decision for many reasons. . . . It invites the Department of Correction to hire outside experts [to tesify against an inmate] whenever they want to deny a prisoner medical treatment.”

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