Cool Letter.....
I'm part of this on-line TS group based in MTL but which spans across Canada and we've been discussing writing letters to government to get them to put SRS back on the Canadian Health plan. Here's a letter that one of the people wrote (I've blocked out her name though) which I think is quite good and to the point.
August 26, 2003
> >
> > To whom it may concern,
> >
> > Re: Sex Reassignment Surgery for Transsexuals in
> > Canada
> >
> > I am writing today to advocate on behalf of the vast
> > number of transsexual men and women living in Canada
> > who are being denied their basic health care needs as
> > is guaranteed to all Canadian citizens under the
> > Federal Health Act.
> >
> > On October 1, 1998 in Ontario for example, the
> > provincial government decided to de-list OHIP's
> > coverage of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS), a
> > necessary and life saving surgery for transsexuals
> > that had been funded by OHIP since 1968. In December
> > of 2002 however, an Ontario Human Rights Commission
> > investigation found that this de-listing was, in fact,
> > prejudiced. This matter has since moved to mediation
> > and no final decision has been made as of yet.
> >
> > Maxine Petersen, Psychological Associate at the Centre
> > for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario, speculates
> > that the government's reasoning to de-list the surgery
> > in Ontario was more "political as opposed to economic"
> > since the government only ever "averaged between
> > $120,000.00 and $150,000.00 in total costs in any
> > given fiscal year". "When you consider the fact that
> > the province spends billions of dollars per year
> > treating people who have become sick from tobacco
> > addiction," Petersen claims, "$150,000.00 is a petty
> > amount of money for a great deal of good".
> >
> > Thousands of transsexual people, in Ontario and all
> > across Canada, continue to fall deeper into depression
> > because they cannot access or afford SRS, and many
> > attempt and succeed in killing themselves as a result.
> > Had these people - tax paying Canadian citizens -
> > received the necessary health care and treatment that
> > they so badly needed, their deaths could have been
> > prevented.
> >
> > While the federal government does provide funding for
> > SRS for transsexual people who either work for them or
> > are incarcerated in prison, they continue to allow the
> > provinces to arbitrarily decide that it is an
> > unnecessary or purely cosmetic procedure and then
> > de-list it from their health care plans without giving
> > thought to the devastating consequences.
> >
> > It is important for our government(s) to understand
> > that transsexuality is not a choice and SRS is not a
> > cosmetic procedure. Transsexual people are born with
> > physical bodies that do not conform to their internal
> > gender identities. Accessing SRS is the only way that
> > they can go on to live meaningful, happy and healthy
> > lives. When other Canadian citizens are born with
> > various forms of physical health condition(s) they
> > promptly receive the necessary treatment and the
> > government covers the bill(s).
> >
> > This pain and suffering MUST stop.
> >
> > Please put an end to this discrimination and ensure
> > access to government funded SRS for all transsexuals
> > in Canada.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > ________________
August 26, 2003
> >
> > To whom it may concern,
> >
> > Re: Sex Reassignment Surgery for Transsexuals in
> > Canada
> >
> > I am writing today to advocate on behalf of the vast
> > number of transsexual men and women living in Canada
> > who are being denied their basic health care needs as
> > is guaranteed to all Canadian citizens under the
> > Federal Health Act.
> >
> > On October 1, 1998 in Ontario for example, the
> > provincial government decided to de-list OHIP's
> > coverage of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS), a
> > necessary and life saving surgery for transsexuals
> > that had been funded by OHIP since 1968. In December
> > of 2002 however, an Ontario Human Rights Commission
> > investigation found that this de-listing was, in fact,
> > prejudiced. This matter has since moved to mediation
> > and no final decision has been made as of yet.
> >
> > Maxine Petersen, Psychological Associate at the Centre
> > for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario, speculates
> > that the government's reasoning to de-list the surgery
> > in Ontario was more "political as opposed to economic"
> > since the government only ever "averaged between
> > $120,000.00 and $150,000.00 in total costs in any
> > given fiscal year". "When you consider the fact that
> > the province spends billions of dollars per year
> > treating people who have become sick from tobacco
> > addiction," Petersen claims, "$150,000.00 is a petty
> > amount of money for a great deal of good".
> >
> > Thousands of transsexual people, in Ontario and all
> > across Canada, continue to fall deeper into depression
> > because they cannot access or afford SRS, and many
> > attempt and succeed in killing themselves as a result.
> > Had these people - tax paying Canadian citizens -
> > received the necessary health care and treatment that
> > they so badly needed, their deaths could have been
> > prevented.
> >
> > While the federal government does provide funding for
> > SRS for transsexual people who either work for them or
> > are incarcerated in prison, they continue to allow the
> > provinces to arbitrarily decide that it is an
> > unnecessary or purely cosmetic procedure and then
> > de-list it from their health care plans without giving
> > thought to the devastating consequences.
> >
> > It is important for our government(s) to understand
> > that transsexuality is not a choice and SRS is not a
> > cosmetic procedure. Transsexual people are born with
> > physical bodies that do not conform to their internal
> > gender identities. Accessing SRS is the only way that
> > they can go on to live meaningful, happy and healthy
> > lives. When other Canadian citizens are born with
> > various forms of physical health condition(s) they
> > promptly receive the necessary treatment and the
> > government covers the bill(s).
> >
> > This pain and suffering MUST stop.
> >
> > Please put an end to this discrimination and ensure
> > access to government funded SRS for all transsexuals
> > in Canada.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > ________________