Brigham Young University Prelaw Review
Article Title
Evaluating the Classification of Gender Confirmation Surgery as a Medical Necessity for Inmates
Keywords
Eighth Amendment, transgender, transgender rights, prison healthcare, medical necessity, gender dysphoria, gender confirmation surgery, sex reassignment surgery, Edmo, Idaho, correctional facility, cruel and unusual punishment, standards, medical science, inmate, research, consensus
Abstract
In 2012, Mason Edmo pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of a fifteenyear-
old boy and was sentenced to ten years in prison. While in
prison, Edmo announced that she identified as a female and changed
her name to Adree. Edmo went on to request gender confirmation
surgery (also known as “sex reassignment surgery”) while still in
prison. Initially, Edmo was not granted the surgery by the Idaho
Department of Corrections, and went on to self-harm and attempt
self-castration twice. In 2017, Edmo filed suit against the Idaho State
Department of Corrections (IDOC) and won. The IDOC disagreed
with the decision, filing an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court, but in
August of 2019, the appeal was denied and Edmo was granted the
surgery in Edmo v. Corizon. This was the first time a circuit court
had granted an inmate’s request for gender confirmation surgery.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Watson, Alexis J.
(2020)
"Evaluating the Classification of Gender Confirmation Surgery as a Medical Necessity for Inmates,"
Brigham Young University Prelaw Review: Vol. 34, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuplr/vol34/iss1/4