Judge: Trans surgery 'medically necessary' – and Medicaid covers the bill

A federal judge has ruled that Wisconsin has to pay for body mutilation surgery on two transgender individuals.

Cody Flack (a woman who identifies as a man) and Sara Ann Makenzie (a man who identifies as a woman) sued the state in federal court, saying that denying them body-altering surgery to treat their gender dysphoria violates the Affordable Care Act. Last week, U.S. District Judge William Conley agreed, saying the medical treatments were "medically necessary" – and that "the likelihood of ongoing, irreparable harm facing these two individual plaintiffs outweighs any marginal impacts on the defendants' stated concerns regarding public health or limiting costs."

Julaine Appling of Wisconsin Family Action says activists are at work here.

"It's not biological, it's ideological – and I believe this is a test case to try to get it to the Supreme Court to get a decision that says ... these folks are in a position where they have to have these kinds of surgeries, and yet taxpayers have to pay for it," she laments.

"They have been so forceful with this [agenda] and so successful in convincing people that if you are part of that acronym [LGBTQ+] that you deserve special treatment and special rights and protections," she continues. "And that's exactly what these two individuals here in Wisconsin are asking for."

Appling says the science is less than convincing that having "gender-reassignment surgery" is the best treatment for someone with the mental disorder.

"People more and more are coming out and saying ... I had the surgery and it didn't change how I feel, it didn't change my outlook – but it did mutilate my body."

Appling sees a slippery slope ahead, especially when it involves children.

"... You can be sure with the approach that's going on here that eventually there will be kids who will be low income – and we as taxpayers will again be complicit in paying for a surgery that is going to forever mutilate their bodies," she tells OneNewsNow.

According to IJR.com, Wisconsin is one of ten states with rules prohibiting transgenders from using Medicaid to obtain surgery.

Judge Conley's full ruling appears here.