A 57-year-old Boston man underwent a $25,000 sex change surgery, then wrote off the medical expenses on her taxes. However, IRS did not allow the deduction, claiming the procedure was not medically necessary and purely cosmetic. Rhiannon O'Donnabhain is suing the IRS in hopes a change of policy concerning medical treatment of transgendered individuals. Around 2,000 transgendered individuals each year commit to sexual reassignment surgery.An advocate asks, "If you were going to a psychiatrist and you had a bipolar condition, and you were taking medication and getting treatment and it made you function better in society, how is that different from having a sex-change operation that allows you to function better and be more comfortable in society?"
How do you personally feel about this issue? I feel that if a transgendered person feels as if this is their only option, and they've been through all the proper psychological examinations before the surgery, they should be allowed the deduction. I think its a matter of psychological health, and it is not an easy decision for them to make.
Source
More information on this topic:
http://www.dignityusa.org/transgender/t-primer.html
http://www.transgendercare.com/
7 comments:
I agree with the IRS. If the IRS was to pay for this surgery, then everyone will try to have the surgery. The only time a surgery should be approved is when it is medically necessary.
I also agree with the IRS to a certain point... if the person getting the surgery had an actual medical reason, i.e. person born with female parts inside and boy on outside, then it should be wrriten off. But, if there is nothing physically wrong then it is purely cosmetic. This person who's sueing just doesn't want to pay for what he/she had done!
I don't have a poze82 in my gradebook, so I can't give you credit for a comment.
I think that is someones personal decision whether or not to have a sex change. I don't think that it's right and I don't agree with it, but that is a persons own choice. I don't think that it should be written off on her taxes though.
I think the Irs was right the procedure is purely cosmetic and a deduction is not necessary. But, I do sympathize with the transgendered because its hard living in society as they are.
I know of a person here in Tallahassee who went through a sex change surgery and was certain that they were born the wrong sex. They had counseling and it took several years before the procedure was done. For them it was correcting a birth defect. If the IRS allows a deduction for a birth defect then they should allow for a sex change.
For a transgendered person, living as the wrong sex is like living with a disease. They feel like they are in the wrong skin. Unfortunately the IRS didn't see it that way in this case. Unless it is medically necessary (i.e. birth defect)then I do think that it is cosmetic. Thats just like a female getting a breast augmentation because they feel like less of a woman for having small breasts. They dont get deductions from their taxes for that.
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