Former Mansfield Resident's Prison Sex-Change and Legal Fees Paid by Taxpayers

After a 12-year battle with legal officials, former Mansfield resident Michelle Kosilek says her operation in prison was a "serious medical need," according to the Boston Herald.

This month, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf ruled that sexual-reassignment surgery is a viable treatment for Michelle Kosilek's gender-identity disorder. The ruling was found under the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment.

In 1990, while a male under the name of Robert, Kosilek strangled his wife and was convicted of her murder. The issue has sparked serious debate as to whether tax payers should foot the bill for gender reassignment surgery for prisoners as a serious medical treatment for a medical condition.

Wolf is also now saying that the court, and therefor taxpayers, should also pay for Kosilek's legal fees from her operation. 

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