A non-binary Ontario resident’s years-long battle for a publicly funded, out-of-country surgery to have a vagina surgically created while maintaining a penis is over.
The Ontario government says it won’t ask the Supreme Court of Canada to review a lower court’s ruling in April declaring that the novel phallus-preserving surgery qualifies as an insured service under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) — the latest win for the patient, identified only as K.S.
The province had until June 23 to seek leave to appeal the April court ruling to the country’s highest court. In an email to National Post this week, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General said the government won’t pursue the case.
It’s not clear how requests for similar niche gender surgeries will be decided or adjudicated in the future.
The lengthy legal battle between K.S., who was born male, dates back to 2022. K.S. does not identify as either exclusively female or male, but is female dominant and uses feminine or neutral pronounces (she/her/they/them).
According to court records, K.S. “has experienced significant gender dysphoria since her teenage years, as well as physical, mental and economic hardships to transition her gender expression to align with her gender identity.”
In 2022, her Ottawa doctor requested pre-approval from OHIP for a vaginoplasty — the surgical creation of a vaginal cavity — but without a penectomy, which is when the penis is removed.
In a letter to OHIP, K.S.’ doctor said that her patient “identifies as trans feminine but not completely on the ‘feminine’ end of the spectrum and for this reason it’s important for her to have a vagina while maintaining a penis.”
A vaginoplasty without a penectomy isn’t available in Canada and, therefore, the funding was to have the procedure done at the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in Austin, Texas, which “has an excellent reputation (for gender-affirming surgery) and especially with these more complicated procedures,” the doctor wrote to OHIP.
OHIP denied the coverage, arguing a vaginoplasty without removal of the penis isn’t listed as a separate, specific procedure under its schedule of benefits, and therefore didn’t qualify for coverage.
This is what US Doctors are willing to do to make money. Kudos to you Texas…..
The Justice Department on Friday fired at least three prosecutors involved in U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases, the latest moves by the Trump administration targeting attorneys connected to the massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Those dismissed include two attorneys who worked as supervisors overseeing the Jan. 6 prosecutions in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington as well as a line attorney who prosecuted cases stemming from the Capitol attack, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
A letter that was received by one of the prosecutors was signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The letter did not provide a reason for their removal, effective immediately, citing only “Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States,” according to a copy seen by The Associated Press.
Earlier this year, former interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin humiliated several January 6 prosecutors and demoted them to the DC Superior Court.
“Those demoted include John Crabb and Elizabeth Aloi, who prosecuted contempt of Congress cases that sent Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro to jail for four months apiece. They include Jason McCullough, who helped lead the team that sent top Proud Boys leaders Enrique Tarrio, Joe Biggs and Ethan Nordean to prison for their role in orchestrating the breach of the Capitol. And they include Kathryn Rakoczy, who was a lead prosecutor in the Jan. 6 cases of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and more than a dozen of his allies, for their involvement in the attack on the Capitol,” Politico reported earlier this year.
These are the same prosecutors that made-up evidence to secure convictions against the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys during their trials.
Eatgrueldog 