In compliance with a court order, Brazil’s public health system just announced in the past few days that it will begin providing free sex-change operations . This move came after federal prosecutors from Rio Grande do Sul state had argued that sexual reassignment surgery is covered under a constitutional clause guaranteeing medical care as a basic right.  On August 15th Brazil's 4th Regional Federal Court agreed, saying in its ruling that “from the biomedical perspective, transsexuality can be described as a sexual identity disturbance where individuals need to change their sexual designation or face serious consequences in their lives, including intense suffering, mutilation and suicide.”

According to the Brazilian Health Ministry the government has no intention of appealing this  ruling by a panel of federal judges giving the government 30 days to offer the procedure or face fines of $5,000 a day.  As far as who qualifies for the free sex-change operations the Health Ministry in Brazil said it would be up to local health officials to decide who qualifies for the surgery and what priority it will be given compared with other operations within the public health system. It did state however that  patients must be at least 21 years old and "diagnosed as transsexuals with no other personality disorders and must undergo psychological evaluation for at least two years."

This commendable move by the Brazilian Health Ministry and its government raises the obvious question: When will the US Government implement such a practice here in the United States?  Or rather will it ever do such a thing?  My guess is  probably never or at least not in a long time - based on two main factors: A)  the screwed-up health system already in place in this country which is far from free for anything and B)  the predominant backward attitudes towards sexuality here in the States. Can you imagine the uproar if some US Congress member were to put forward such a proposal?  Media figures like Bill O'Reilly would have a field day as they would undoubtedly spin it into pure sensationalist hysteria about how the hard-working American's tax money would be ripped off from them for sexually deviant purposes.  Ultimately it would result in a lot of discussion, or rather dispute and argument,  but little in concrete, positive and compassionate advances.