Gender Reassignment Surgery
Gender reassignment surgery is no longer the novelty it once was. Thousands of transsexuals, both male-to-female and female-to-male, worldwide have now undergone this procedure. But it is still true that only a small fraction of those people who consider themselves to be transgendered actually go this far. The cost is a major barrier for many people. Others find ways to accommodate their transgender feelings while continuing to live in their birth sex or in some in-between state. Gender reassignment surgery is expensive, costing thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, depending on which procedures are undertaken. Some governments will cover the entire cost under their medicare programs. Others will cover it partially or not at all. Surgery is irreversible. Once the original sex organs are removed and new organs constructed, there is no going back. Surgery also renders the patient sterile. Although several surgeons have speculated that it may some day be possible for post...