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May 30, 2006 11:31 pm US/Eastern
Inmate Seeks Court Order For Sex-Change Operation
by Beth Germano
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
A man convicted of killing his wife is again asking a judge for permission to get a sex-change operation.
Robert Kosilek, who is now known as Michelle Kosilek, initially sued correction officials in Massachusetts four years ago, seeking treatment for gender identity disorder.
A federal judge has already agreed that Kosilek has a rare mental illness and allowed continued hormone treatments for the convicted killer who is serving a life sentence.
The judge is stopping short of a sex change operation. Some experts say he's a suicide risk in prison without it.
"It could lead to acute depression....certainly could lead to someone being a safety risk in terms of own safety," said gender therapist, Diane Ellaborn.
Prison officials fear that with the operation he could become a target for assault.
State Senator Scott Brown says beyond that, going to prison means losing some rights.
"He's in prison because he murdered his wife and we have to stop coddling prisoners, start protecting taxpayer dollars," said Brown.
If he is a woman trapped in a man's body, Kosilek argues it's cruel and unusual punishment to deny the surgery that not even insurance companies will pay for.
"For any human being it would be difficult for anyone to be destined to be in the middle of male and female," said Ellaborn.
Neither side would say what the sex-change operation would cost, but previous reports have estimated the bill at some $20,000.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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