Spoonless wrote:
I'm of the position that an inmate's crime should have no bearing on their level of provided healthcare, mental or physical. If Manning were in prison on a mandatory minimum sentence for drug possession, or for more heinous crimes like rape, murder, or child molestation, the same level of healthcare should be provided. Yes, this also applies to charges of espionage. It doesn't matter how I personally feel about the crime.
That's my stance on this as well. If we were talking about James Holmes, I'd still set the same standard for medical treatment. Or if we were talking about PoWs, Guantanamo, etc.
Side note: I can't find any part of me that seriously wants to condemn manning for his actions. I feel like the situation he was placed in is one where it would conceivably have been considered treason either way, one with regards to the government, one with regards to the people the constitute the nation. The only crime I would have been willing to accept him as legitimately guilty is the charge he was cleared of.
But I don't think this thread needs to be about whether or not Manning is guilty. That ship has sailed. /shrug.
lolgaxe wrote:
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
The other side of this is that, due to armed forces regulations, Manning would have been dishonorably discharged (at least, to my understanding), if he made the decision to transition or was diagnosed with GID.
He wouldn't be discharged at all, he'd be barred from reenlistment, and would have still gotten either an honorable discharge or a medical discharge, neither of which means much of anything when looking for new employment.
That's good to know. Definitely the better course of events. I'm not entirely sure what about GID makes it a disqualifying medical condition, but that's neither here nor there.
Quote:
If he wants to talk to a shrink or whatever, fine since I'm assuming that's a treatment available for most prisoners.
I doubt any of us are holding the position that Manning should get special treatment. I'm saying that I think he should get the hormone therapy treatment, yeah. I take it as a given that this means such treatment should be available in general. And if access to therapists isn't available now, it really,
really should be.
But if we're talking about GID, specifically, it's particularly important. Considering treatment for GID as cosmetic is... extremely odd, to me. The statistics for suicide among people with GID is horrifying. Up to 3/4 of the population is suicidal, with 30-50% of them attempting suicide in their lifetime (really quick google searches - I only know the teen rates off the top of my head). Sure, these stresses are more linked to societal influence than the state itself. But I doubt that would simply stop being a factor in prison.