Idaho ordered to provide sex reassignment surgery to inmate jailed for sexually abusing a child

The state of Idaho has been ordered to provide gender reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate imprisoned for the sexual abuse of a minor.

Through a Nov. 13 preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered the Idaho Department of Correction and its prison healthcare contractor, Corizon, to provide "gender confirmation surgery" to inmate Adree Edmo.

Edmo was first incarcerated in 2012 in men's prison on charges of sexually abusing a child under the age of 16. Shortly after Edmo's sentencing, Edmo was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition in which an individual identifies as a gender different from that of his or her biological sex.

Winmill ruled that the refusal of IDOC and Corizon to provide the 31-year-old with the gender transition services puts Edmo at risk of irreparable harm.

The judge stated that Edmo provided "extensive evidence" that Edmo "continues to experience gender dysphoria" despite years of hormone therapy.

Winmill asserted that the state was ignoring Edmo's "medical needs" and that the state's response to Edmo's condition "amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment."

Winmill reasoned that while some people suffering from gender dysphoria don't require gender reassignment surgeries, sex reassignment is "the only effective treatment" for others.

"Defendants are ordered to provide Plaintiff with adequate medical care, including gender confirmation surgery," the court order states. "Defendants shall take all actions reasonably necessary to provide Ms. Edmo gender confirmation surgery as promptly as possible and no later than six months from the date of this order."

Along with 21 other states, Idaho uses the Tennessee-based private healthcare provider Corizon to provide healthcare for inmates. AP reports that Corizon has never provided gender reassignment surgery at any of its facilities nationwide.

In a statement, Edmo voiced relief that the court "validated my right to necessary medical treatment."

"Not having the care I need is like being in a prison within a prison," Edmo asserted. "Even though I am still living, it has felt like I have been dying inside."

Edmo claims to have lived as a woman for years before being imprisoned and even wore women's clothing and cosmetics. Edmo has attempted self-castration twice while in prison. Edmo's sentence is set to be complete by 2021.

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