Government Boob Job Denied

(UK) Arguably, the courts being backlogged with cases like this are the future of America.

A 58-year-old British transsexual Tuesday lost her court battle over the state-funded health service's refusal to pay for a breast enlargement, which she claimed violated her human rights.

Identified only as "C" for legal reasons, the gender identity disorder (GID) sufferer -- referring to people unhappy with their sex -- has been living as a woman for more than a decade.

Her breasts failed to develop sufficiently following hormonal treatment, leaving her in physical and psychological "limbo."

The transsexual, who is from the Reading area west of London, challenged the local National Health Service branch's refusal to pay for breast augmentation surgery, at a cost of £2,300 ($3,300).

West Berkshire Primary Care Trust said it was not an essential part of GID treatment and there was no evidence it would improve her health.

At the High Court in London, Judge David Bean dismissed her claim for judicial review and refused leave to appeal.

The transsexual's government-paid lawyers contended that denial of the government-paid breast enlargement was sex discrimination and a violation of human rights. They asserted it would lead to depression and a risk of self-harm.

It's worth mentioning that there was a somewhat similar case in the U.S. several years ago. An inmate at a New York prison, Mark Brooks, who was doing a life term for murder, claimed he was "a girl inside" and requested that the state fund a sex change and subsequently transfer him to a woman's prison. The cost was estimated to be $500,000. Last I heard, the case was still being adjudicated.

Tip: CNestor