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| Kan. Rejects Sex-Change Inmate's Claim |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/22/2003 |
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A legislative panel rejected a damage claim last Wednesday filed by an inmate who wants to undergo sex-change surgery but has been denied hormone therapy in prison. Christopher I. Sorrels, 29, described himself as a transsexual in the rejected $500,000 claim. He said he has been dressing as a woman since he was 13 and has undergone hormone therapy for 10 years to prepare himself for surgery. Sorrels argued that the Department of Corrections has shown "deliberate indifference" to his "serious medical needs." He said he has suffered pain and depression because he cannot continue his therapy. But the state said Sorrels fails to qualify for hormone therapy under guidelines set by Prison Health Services, a Tennessee company that provides medical services for inmates under a contract with the Department of Corrections. "It's not the state's responsibility or a medical necessity to fund that elective surgery," said Rep. Bonnie Huy, chairwoman of the Legislature's Special Committee on Claims Against the State. The committee hears dozens of claims each year from inmates, mostly over lost or stolen property. Sorrels, serving 18 months for forgery, is eligible for parole next year. |
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