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Army OKs Sex-Change Hormones for Chelsea Manning: Report
Thursday, February 12, 2015 07:16 PM
By: Cathy Burke
Chelsea Manning, serving a 35-year in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of government files, has been approved to receive hormone therapy for transition to a woman at the Army's Fort Leavenworth prison, USA Today reports.
The approval for the formerly named Army Pvt. Bradley Manning is a first for the Army, the newspaper notes.
"After carefully considering the recommendation that [hormone treatment] is medically appropriate and necessary, and weighing all associated safety and security risks presented, I approve adding [hormone treatment] to Inmate Manning's treatment plan," Col. Erica Nelson, the commandant of Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, wrote in a Feb. 5 memo, USA Today reports.
At Manning's trial, her lawyers argued she had been disillusioned by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and believed the release of the documents to WikiLeaks, including diplomatic cables and military reports, should be seen by the public.
In total, the Oklahoma native was convicted of 20 crimes in July 2013. Those crimes included six violations of the Espionage Act. Manning wasn't convicted of the most serious crime she was accused of — aiding the enemy.
While in prison, Manning sued the federal government for access to the hormone treatment so she could live as a woman. The Justice Department declined to comment, USA Today reports, and the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Manning in the case, didn't immediately comment.
Transgenders are not allowed to serve in the U.S. military and the Defense Department does not provide such treatment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, however, does provide the treatment for veterans, USA Today notes.
The Army is just fulfilling its obligation to provide Manning with medical care, Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, an advocacy group based in Washington, told USA Today.
"If she has a heart attack, they have to treat that, too," Keisling said. "This is no different."
It's not clear when treatment will begin.
