The rest of their bill will be met by legal aid. I have deep sympathy - but it is not an illness. Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute, a religious think tank, branded the ruling regrettable'. The NHS has no central guidelines on what clinical priority should be given to transsexuals and health authorities have full powers to decide on organisation of treatment in their areas. The transsexual lobby group Press for Change said the 'welcome' decision could also apply to other patients turned down on the grounds of cost, such as those needing Viagra.
Few authorities are like West Lancashire in openly opposing surgery.
But what has been happening is that people are waiting six, ten, even 15 years for surgery even though we are told waiting lists are 18 months. Incredibly, the answer seems to be Yes. The Court ruled that the North West Lancashire Health Authority's refusal to carry out three such operations because of a lack of funds was not only unlawful but 'irrational'. There is no settled scientific consensus over this, after all. Of course, transsexuals deserve our sympathy.