Rio de Janeiro
Brazil will begin offering free sex-change operations to transsexuals, the Health Ministry announced this week. The move was prompted by a federal court ruling that the procedures must be covered by the public health system. “Transsexuals represent about 0.001 percent of the Brazilian population, but for this minority, sexual reassignment surgery is a question of life or death,” said Luiz Mott of the Bahia Gay Group. “It is unjust and cruel to argue that the health system should concern itself with other priorities.” Patients must be 21 years old and mentally healthy, apart from their gender dysphoria. Local officials will determine who qualifies for the coverage.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source NotesFeature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
