A federal judge in California ordered a state prison to allow a transgender inmate convicted in 1987 to undergo sex reassignment surgery, ruling that denying such a procedure is unconstitutional and inflicts unwarranted personal suffering on behalf of the inmate.
In the ruling, the first in California's history, Judge Jon Tigar said Michelle-Lael Norsworthy has a constitutional right to sex reassignment surgery, Reuters reported.
Norsworthy, born Jeffrey Norsworhty, received other forms of treatment for her gender dysphoria as she serves a 17-year sentence for second-degree murder at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. But it has not worked and she still suffers "excruciating pain and frustration," the judge wrote.
"Norsworthy has presented compelling evidence suggesting that prison officials deliberately lingered her continuing symptoms of gender dysphoria and the recognized standards of care," Tigar wrote according to Reuters.
The 51-year-old began identifying as a transgender woman in the '90s. She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria - a condition in which a person does not identify with the gender he or she was born with - in January 2000. Hormone therapy is a common treatment, allowing for breast development among other alterations.
If denied treatment, those affected can become depressed and turn to thoughts of suicide. Norsworthy has tried hormone replacement treatments but her liver function is at stake, Reuters reported.
"She is seeking access to the medical treatment prescribed by her treating provider and denied for administrative, rather than medical reasons," Tiger wrote.
The California Corrections Health Care Services office is reviewing its options to determine how to proceed, a spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times. The surgery is expected to cost around $100,000 the spokesman said.
The landmark decision comes at a time more officials are ruling in favor of transgender inmates fighting for the right to treatment, including a February decision to allow Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking military documents to WikiLeaks, to undergo hormone replacement therapy.
