All citizens have the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but what happens when a citizen commits a heinous act like murder? Should the pursuit of their happiness be allowed even if they have taken the life of another? Should we, as a society, take their feelings into consideration and grant them the right to live their lives as they wish? An important issue in the United States is health programs for prisoners. One of the biggest controversies when it comes to medical treatment/surgery within the penal system is the sexual reassignment of inmates with gender dysphoria. It is reported that in 2007 there are 750 inmates requiring gender reassignment surgery (Brotheim, 2013). If asked today, some would say that gender reassignment surgery at taxpayer expense is a frivolous waste of money. Some may even become enraged at the thought that a non-law-abiding citizen, viewed by society as someone who should be removed from the general public, surely does not deserve to receive this surgery. States should not be required to conduct gender reassignment surgeries for inmates with gender dysphoria, due to costs, uncertainty about the treatability of this disorder, the safety of the incarcerated offender, and the moral dilemma between punishment and privilege. Gender dysphoria – formally known as Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is "a persistent discomfort with having the physical characteristics of one's gender, accompanied by a strong identification with the opposite gender and a desire to live or become a member of the opposite gender" (Dorland's Medical Dictionary). for health consumers, 2007). In accordance with standards for the treatment of prisoners,...... middle of document......andards_treatmentprisoners.html#23-6.13Penn, N. (2013, November 11). Should this prisoner undergo a state-funded sex change operation? New Republic, pp. 28-35. Samuels, C. (2013, March 18). Federal Register: The daily newspaper of the United States government. Retrieved from Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/03/18/2013-06139/annual-determination-of-average-cost-of-incarcerationTexas Juvinile Justice Department. (2013). Retrieved from TJJD&OS Templates: https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/programs/prea.aspxWeisberg, R. and Mills D. (2003, October 1) Silence on Violence: Why Nobody Really Cares About Prison Rape. Slate Magazine retrieved from: http://www.slate.com/id/2089095 Zimmerly, G. (2013, March 5). Yale Daily News. Retrieved from Yale University website: http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/03/05/zimmerly-the-real-costs-of-sex-reassignment-surgery/