Why OHIP Should Pay for a Sex Change Operation if a Doctor Says It's Necessary
Submitted by Bob Rae on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 22:46.Pierre Polievre, who sits across from me in the House of Commons is a Conservative MP eager to make a name for himself in Ottawa. A couple of days ago he wrote to Jim Flaherty insisting that Ottawa not pay Ontario for the recently announced decision by Health Minister George Smitherman that OHIP would once again pay for sex change operations.
Playing on the ridiculous stereotype that this kind of operation is a voluntary "frill" indulged in by a self indulgent few, Polievre is - thank goodness - playing to an ever dwindling gallery.
Polievre only has to show a little imagination, empathy, and knowledge to realize how wrong and mean-spirited he is. Nothing is more bewildering and troubling for the young person uncertain not just of their sexual orientation but of their very sexual identity. To undergo a sex change operation is not some kind of whim: it is a decision based not on simple personal choice but after counselling and medical advice. At some level we all have the right to be who we really are - the most fundamental right to an identity imaginable.
What is troubling about all this is that it was the Harris Tories that eliminated financial support for an operation that had long been covered by OHIP. Polievre's letter os addressed to a key member of both the Harris and Harper teams - Jim Flaherty.
Let's hope Mr Flaherty ignores the right wing noise from Pierre Polievre. If he doesn't he's in for a big fight.
Other provinces have agreed that what is medically necessary should be covered by health insurance. What Polievre doesn't understand is that doctors have been dealing with issues of sexual identity for decades, and the last thing this country needs is for these issues to be turned into some kind of partisan witch hunt.
