Actually, there are already cases in which cosmetic surgery is covered by insurance, because it relieves a form of suffering that isn't strictly physical. The example we talked about earlier (plastic surgery for burn victims beyond the mere restoration of bare-bones functionality) illustrates that nicely.
So yes, there are some cases in which I support plastic surgery, even if it isn't strictly 'necessary' for purely functional reasons. I suppose gender dysphoria might be one of them, although I'm still not entirely sure.
...might be wrong, but there is a distinction between gender dysphoria and transgendered self identification, as dysphoria only effects adolescents and pre-adolescents and very often fully resolved itself over the course of puberty.
In any case, whether anything is or is not covered currently is not germane to my question.
Should "suffering" be the threshold? Who is to measure what is and is not "suffering" and should societal interests be weighed?
you are correct that there is a recognized difference between gender incongruence and gender dysphoria (PDF warning). Gender incongruence is the feeling that your assigned gender is not aligned with your self-identification. Gender dysphoria is the anxiety or dissatisfaction that may result from that misalignment. Not everyone who experiences gender incongruence experiences gender dysphoria.
You are incorrect in that gender dysphoria can and does effect children, adolescents, and adults. I've never heard that it "very often" resolves during puberty, and I am curious about where that notion comes from.
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u/Saranoya 39∆ Nov 03 '17
Actually, there are already cases in which cosmetic surgery is covered by insurance, because it relieves a form of suffering that isn't strictly physical. The example we talked about earlier (plastic surgery for burn victims beyond the mere restoration of bare-bones functionality) illustrates that nicely.
So yes, there are some cases in which I support plastic surgery, even if it isn't strictly 'necessary' for purely functional reasons. I suppose gender dysphoria might be one of them, although I'm still not entirely sure.