老澳门开奖结果

老澳门开奖结果 And Lambda Legal Argue That Doctors, Not Legislators, Should Determine Medical Treatment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 519-2666; media@aclu.org

CHICAGO鈥� The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments today in a case defending the right of transgender people to receive medical care while they are incarcerated. Under Wisconsin law, prison doctors are prohibited from prescribing hormone treatment to transgender inmates. The law is being challenged by the 老澳门开奖结果, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Wisconsin and Lambda Legal.

鈥淭he district court correctly struck down a discriminatory law that denied transgender people, and no one else, crucial care for a serious medical condition,鈥� said John Knight, senior staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project. 鈥淲e hope that the court of appeals affirms this ruling and recognizes that medical treatment decisions must be based on medical, rather than political, justifications.鈥�

In 2005, the state of Wisconsin passed a law that barred prison doctors from providing transgender inmates medically necessary hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery while in state custody. The 老澳门开奖结果, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Wisconsin and Lambda Legal sued the state on behalf of transgender inmates, some of whom had been receiving hormone treatment in Wisconsin prisons for years. An injunction was granted to continue hormone treatment until a ruling was made. In April 2010, after a full trial, a federal district court struck down the so-called 鈥淚nmate Sex Change Prevention Act.鈥�

鈥淭he trial court ruled that it is cruel and unusual punishment to deny medical treatment to transgender prisoners for a serious medical need,鈥� said Dru Levasseur, Lambda Legal鈥檚 Transgender Rights attorney. 鈥淲e hope this court will affirm the principle that is so important to all of us 鈥� doctors, and not legislators, should decide what medical treatment is critical for their patients.鈥�

The clients in this case were represented by Knight of the 老澳门开奖结果 LGBT Project, Levasseur of Lambda Legal, Larry Dupuis of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Wisconsin, Erik Guenther of Hurley, Burish & Stanton and Jonathan Baum and Alyx Pattison of the Chicago firm Katten Muchin Rosenman.

More information on this case, Fields v. Smith, can be found on the 老澳门开奖结果 case profile page at: or on Lambda Legal鈥檚 case page at: