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.
-
11 extra-special holiday gifts for everyone on your listThe Week Recommends Jingle their bells with the right present
-
‘Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right’ by Laura K. Field and ‘The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare’ by Daniel SwiftFeature An insider’s POV on the GOP and the untold story of Shakespeare’s first theater
-
How to shop smarter with a grocery budgetThe Explainer No more pushing your cart down the aisles on autopilot
