Harris’ Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees

Q: Does Kamala Harris support government-paid gender-affirming surgery for prison inmates and immigrant detainees?A: The government must provide medical care to prisoners and immigrant detainees. Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support in a 2019 questionnaire for “medically necessary” gender-affirming care, including surgical care, for federal prisoners and detainees. She has not detailed her position in the current campaign.Does Kamala Harris support government paid transgender surgery for prison inmates and illegal immigrants?TV shows an ad in which Kamala Harris says all transgender inmates should have access to medical care. Did she really say this? Does that mean treatment and/or surgery ?We’ve recently received a number of reader questions about Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on providing gender-affirming surgeries for transgender prisoners and immigrants, often sparked by a campaign advertisement from her opponent, former President Donald Trump. A transgender person’s gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth.The U.S. Constitution requires that the government provide needed medical care for prisoners, according to a 1976 Supreme Court ruling. Transgender inmates in federal and state prisons have argued in court that this includes providing medically necessary gender-affirming care. Some federal and state prisoners have received gender-affirming surgeries following legal victories. So far,...