Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman issued a legal opinion on Thursday where he said he believes the state is not obligated to use taxpayer funds for transgender-related surgeries for jailed inmates.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections sought this opinion as it looked at revising some of its administrative regulations concerning medical care for prisoners. Coleman was asked to determine whether denying such surgeries when deemed “medically necessary” by professionals would violate the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
“Common sense dictates that it is not ‘cruel and unusual’ for the department to decline to spend taxpayer dollars on such controversial medical procedures,” Coleman’s opinion reads. “Fortunately, there is no controlling legal authority that compels the department to abandon common sense.”…