Court orders prison service to let transgender inmate undergo gender-affirming care

A court has ordered the Israel Prison Service to allow a transgender prisoner to undergo gender-affirming care, including hormonal treatments and surgery, Channel 12 reports.

The prisoner, who began serving a 23-year sentence for manslaughter in a male prison, will be the first person in Israel to undergo the process while in jail.

The prisoner who began transitioning only after being jailed, first applied for permission in 2018, but was denied by the service. She then appealed to the courts. She has been in a women’s prison since 2019.

“Gender-affirming care has been recognized as an essential medical need in Israel and has been included in the public health basket for over 40 years,” her lawyers tell Channel 12. “The prison service is obligated to provide prisoners the same medical services that are given outside of jail.”