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Prison Must Provide Transgender Surgery to Inmate Who Murdered a Baby, Judge Rules

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  September 27, 2024 3:30 PM

A federal judge ruled that an Indiana prison must provide so-called “gender-affirming” surgery to an inmate who believes he is a transgender Muslim woman.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Indiana Department of Corrections last year on behalf of the transgender inmate, Jonathan C. Richardson, who goes by “Autumn Cordellionè,” according to the New York Post. 

Richardson was convicted of strangling his 11-month-old stepdaughter to death in 2001.

In the lawsuit, the ACLU reportedly argued that Indiana’s law prohibiting the Department of Corrections from using taxpayer dollars to fund sex reassignment surgery for prisoners, is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 28, 2023.

The surgery for Richardson is “medically necessary,” the ACLU argued.

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District Judge Richard Young sided with the ACLU (via NYP):

“Specifically, Ms. Cordellioné has shown that her gender dysphoria is a serious medical need, and that, despite other treatments Defendant has provided her to treat her gender dysphoria, she requires gender-affirming surgery to prevent a risk of serious bodily and psychological harm,” the ruling states.

The DOC must now take “all reasonable actions” to ensure Cordellioné undergoes sex surgery, according to the order.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita reacted to the news on X. 

“An Indiana inmate convicted of murder wants taxpayers to fund their gender altering surgery,” he wrote. “Voters and the Legislature do not want their tax dollars spent on these prisoner gender surgeries. Citizens can expect an appeal on this judge's ruling.”