September 29, 2007
Argentine Court OKs Teen’s Gender Surgery
PlanetOut reports:
A 17-year-old Argentine has won a court battle to undergo surgery to become a female, the first decision of its kind involving a minor in Argentina, news reports said Thursday.
Ending a three-year legal battle, a court in the central province of Cordoba authorized the surgery this week.
In Argentina, the surgery requires court approval because of laws against mutilation.
A judge in 2004 initially ruled the teenager must wait until age 21, but the parents appealed and persuaded a court panel, the reports said.
. . .
In the United States, no court permission is necessary but most doctors are hesitant to operate on minors, said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education in Waltham, Mass.
An August court decision in Brazil required the public health system to pay for sex reassignment surgeries. At least eight other countries, including Canada, have similar policies.
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