Taxpayers Not Required to Pay for Inmate Gender Surgeries in Kentucky

The Attorney General rejected the assertion that taxpayers would have to pay for the surgeries

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 19, 2024) – Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman released an Opinion of the Attorney General thursday rejecting the assertion that Kentucky taxpayers should be forced to pay for convicted criminals’ gender surgeries. The Kentucky Department of Corrections requested the Opinion as it amends its administrative regulations regarding medical care for inmates.

“The idea that Kentucky taxpayers should be forced to pay for gender surgeries for convicted criminals was simply absurd. As a matter of law and common sense, this Opinion should settle the question once and for all,” said Attorney General Coleman. “The people of Kentucky expect their public officials to focus on protecting their families and building a stronger Commonwealth, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do in the Attorney General’s Office.”

The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for providing legal opinions to public officials to assist them in the performance of their duties. Opinions of the Office are persuasive in Kentucky courts and public officials are expected to follow them.

“For most Kentuckians, the answer to the Department’s question is self-evident. Common sense dictates that it is not ‘cruel and unusual’ for the Department to decline to spend taxpayer dollars on such controversial medical procedures. Fortunately, there is no controlling legal authority that compels the Department to abandon common sense,” the Opinion reads.

Read the Opinion of the Attorney General.