PENTAGON FOOTS BILL FOR SOLDIER’S “GENDER TRANSITION” SURGERY AT TAXPAYERS’ EXPENSE

PENTAGON FOOTS BILL FOR SOLDIER’S “GENDER TRANSITION” SURGERY AT TAXPAYERS’ EXPENSE
BY DAVE BOHON
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

An active duty U.S. military service member underwent “gender
transition” surgery November 14, a procedure that was approved and paid
for by the Pentagon, the Defense Department has announced.

The Pentagon said the individual getting the surgery is an infantry
soldier who identifies as a woman, and who received his Combat Infantry
Badge in Afghanistan in 2003.

Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White told reporters that the
surgery was performed in a private hospital in Pennsylvania and was paid
for through the soldier’s military health coverage. She explained that
the procedure was done on the advice of doctors who deemed it medically
necessary.

“Military hospitals do not have the surgical expertise to perform
this type of surgery, therefore it was conducted in a private hospital,”
said White, adding that since the soldier “had already begun a
sex-reassignment course of treatment, and the treating doctor deemed
this surgery medically necessary, a waiver was approved by the director
of the Defense Health Agency.”

In July President Trump overturned
President Obama’s decision to allow transgender individuals full access
to military service, announcing that “the United States government will
not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in
the U.S. military. Our military must be focused on decisive and
overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical
costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

In October a federal court put a hold on that ban as lawsuits filed
by transgender service members make their way through the courts.
However, the ban on federal funding of “gender reassignment” surgeries
was left in place, with the caveat that service members who had already
begun the “transition” process would be exempted. This exemption allowed
the present soldier to have his “gender reassignment” surgery paid for
by the government.