Some procedures have been deemed “not medically necessary” due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Cities have been placed on “lockdown” and have issued “stay-at-home” orders to prevent the virus from spreading further. In some states, many clinics have paused their surgical abortions for the time being. This is an issue because the earlier in a pregnancy an abortion can be performed, the better. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology issued a statement saying that since abortions are time-sensitive, they should not be delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some states are not abiding by what the experts are saying because they have a political agenda to reduce or stop all abortions because they view them as sinful. There are types of abortions that can be performed using very little medical equipment. This does not make a difference to the officials in Texas and Ohio because it is not about using resources or taking up rooms in medical facilities. It is about the control they can have over pregnant people’s bodies.
Gender-affirming surgeries for transgender individuals are also being postponed due to the virus as well. Trans people often have to go through multiple psychiatric evaluations in order to receive a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria which is the distress caused by the disconnect between the gender someone identifies as and the one they were assigned at birth. In order for insurance companies to cover the cost of these procedures, they need a letter from a therapist stating the patient has been consistently living and presenting as the gender they identify as and that the procedure is deemed “medically necessary.” Some surgeons require patients to have undergone hormone replacement therapy for at least a year before performing any gender-affirming surgeries. These are only some of the obstacles that transgender individuals have to go through to prove that they need surgery to help improve their wellbeing. During our current global pandemic, it is now even harder for these procedures to not be seen as elective. As a trans person, I know the feeling of excitement when you’re able to finally schedule your surgery after having to jump through so many hoops and knowing that some of your dysphoria will drastically decline.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like to have a procedure that you need to improve the state of your mental health be postponed after anticipating it for so long. My heart goes out to anyone whose procedures have been postponed due to COVID-19.
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