Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024
Has Kamala Harris supported taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgery for inmates and detainees?
Kamala Harris has supported the rare occurrence of taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgery for prison inmates and detained undocumented immigrants.
The claim, made on Wisconsin radio by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, is similar to one made in an ad from former President Donald Trump shown during the Oct. 27, 2024, Green Bay Packers game.
The American Civil Liberties Union asked 2020 presidential candidates if they would ensure that “people who rely on the state for medical care — including those in prison and immigration detention — will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care?”
Harris answered Yes, adding that as California attorney general, she advocated for gender transition surgery for inmates.
Asked Oct. 16 by Fox News if that is still her position, Harris said: “I will follow the law.”
Two transition surgeries were done on federal inmates since 2022. Trump’s administration allowed “necessary” transgender surgeries.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- omny.fm Guest: Congressman Matt Gaetz - The Meg Ellefson Show 102424 - The Meg Ellefson Show
- The Jim Heath Channel 2024 Trump 'Hell No' Ad
- American Civil Liberties Union ACLU Rights for All Candidate Questionnaire 2019 Kamala D. Harris
- Advocate Kamala Harris on Denying Gender Affirmation Surgery to Trans Inmates
- NCTE Action Fund Transform the White House: Sen. Kamala Harris
- Fox News Harris dodges question on taxpayer-funded transgender surgery for prisoners
- Fox News (10:35) Full interview: Vice President Kamala Harris sits down with Bret Baier in 'Special Report' exclusive
- New York Times Under Trump, U.S. Prisons Offered Gender-Affirming Care
- CNN KFile: Harris told ACLU in 2019 she supports cuts to ICE funding and providing gender transition surgery to detained migrants
- FactCheck.org Harris' Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees - FactCheck.org
- Verify Verifying Harris attack ad on gender surgeries for prisoners
- PolitiFact Harris’ support for prisoner access to transgender surgery aligns with federal law and court rulings
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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