Jennifer McCreath will not appeal a dismissal from her 2009 Human Rights Complaint against Newfoundland's Medical Care Plan over access to transsexual health funding.
In her vlog, she explains the problem is the limited scope of Human Rights Act; and encourages transsexuals to lobby doctors, health policy makers & politicians for change. She complained that any trans care deemed medically-necessary by Newfoundland Doctors should be funded, and care should be provided in Canada, when available.
Current MCP trans policy (updated last in 1996) states that funding is only available for bottom surgery, AND only upon a recommendation from the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto (Aka CAMH), AND only if the procedure is not done at a private clinic in Canada.
Unlike most other jurisdictions, McCreath says NL Human Rights Act does not allow investigators and adjudicators at Commission to refer potentially contentious public policy matters to tribunal as their scope of mandate is specific to individuals. McCreath also questions whether the lack of explicit protection under the Act for Gender Identity played a role, and whether having the Commission report to the Justice Minister (and not the House) played a role in making this a political issue rather than a human rights issue.
While significant attention has been paid by trans activists, politicians, and media, regarding the addition of Gender Identity to Human Rights Acts, she raises concern that little attention seems to be paid by any of these entities towards an out-of-date myth that transsexualism is a mental illness that requires assessment by the once-perceived guru of trans psychiatric issues, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, aka Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH).
World Professional Association for Transgender Health (www.wpath.org) and Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (www.cpath.ca) are globally and nationally-recognized body of knowledges, respectively, on this topic. Both say that existing global best-practice guidelines for the assessment of trans patients does not require anything that can't be attained and achieved through a team of the patient's local family doctor and psychiatrist.
McCreath hasn't ruled out a civil lawsuit against the Provincial Government, but will focus her immediate attention towards building up a team of trans patients and trans acvitists, to lobby doctors, policy makers and politicians, to use moral suasion to attempt to improve human rights and health care for trans Newfoundlanders. McCreath intends to use her own volunteer consulting program (www.jennifermccreath.com) and her soon-to-be-established non-profit, Newfoundland Patient Association for Transsexual Health (www.npath.net), as catalyst tools to move this work forward.
For all questions, comments and media requests: info@jennifermccreath.com 709-753-9529
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