Chelsea Manning: Ending hunger strike after US Army approves treatment

[webfact]

Chelsea Manning: Ending hunger strike after Army approves treatment 

 

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A transgender soldier imprisoned in Kansas for leaking classified information to the WikiLeaks website will end a hunger strike after the Army agreed to allow her to receive medical treatment for her gender dysphoria, the American Civil Liberties Union announced Tuesday.

 

Chelsea Manning's medical treatment will begin with surgery that was recommended by her psychologist in April, the ACLU said. Manning began the hunger strike at Fort Leavenworth military prison on Friday, vowing to continue until she received better treatment.

 

"I am unendingly relieved that the military is finally doing the right thing. I applaud them for that," Manning said in a statement. "This is all that I wanted — for them to let me be me. But it is hard not to wonder why it has taken so long. ... In any case, I hope this sets a precedent for the thousands of trans people behind me hoping they will be given the treatment they need."

 

Manning, who was arrested in 2010 as Bradley Manning, was convicted in 2013 in military court of leaking more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents to WikiLeaks.Manning was an intelligence analyst in Iraq at the time. She is serving a 35-year sentence.

 

Army spokesman Wayne Hall didn't immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment.

 

ACLU attorney Chase Strangio said Manning should "enjoy some peace" knowing the medical care was coming.

 

"Thankfully the government has recognized its constitutional obligation to provide Chelsea with the medical care that she needs and we hope that they will act without delay to ensure that her suffering does not needlessly continue."

 

Strangio said it's troubling that Manning still faces administrative charges related to a suicide attempt on July 5 at the military prison. She wants the Army to drop those charges and stop efforts to have Manning to cut her hair to male hair length military standards.

 

The ACLU filed a lawsuit in 2014 against the U.S. Department of Defense over its refusal to treat Manning's gender dysphoria.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-14

 

[captspectre]

Once again the army caves into the homosexual lobby! A tax paid operation for a convicted criminal! Disgusting!

[ToS2014]

What has the world become?  It's not only the Army that is caving....although this is one good example.

[Emster23]

  Chelsea will probably spend all his/her time in solitary, so what is the point of modifying equipment you can't use?  I'm all for transgender rights and that, but this seems like elective surgery. Current condition not life threatening and every surgery has it's risks.

[peterb17]

3 hours ago, captspectre said:

Once again the army caves into the homosexual lobby! A tax paid operation for a convicted criminal! Disgusting!

 

Is there a heterosexual lobby- are you beaten up or killed because of your sexuality? 

 

Would be very grateful - how on earth is this related to the ' so called homosexual lobby' ? 

 

Will wait for your enlightened reply 

[tifino]

 

the Army can play along with her little game, but it's a 2 way street;

 

- and insist she cut her hair to lesbian length - akin to Sinead O'connor style

 

 

[rgraham]

Why didn't it get the firing squad?

[jesimps]

1 hour ago, rgraham said:

Why didn't it get the firing squad?

I agree. I can't imagine any crime worse than betraying your own country, he/she was a very deserving candidate for capital punishment and letting he/she carry on with the hunger strike would have done the job for them. 

I'd have said the same for any traitor  male, female, black, white, straight or gay. That Snowden thing is another deserving candidate.

 

[ClutchClark]

Mr or Mrs Manning is a very confused individual and should have been better screened during the initial vetting process.

 

We should not spend one dime on gender reassignment.

[captspectre]

22 hours ago, peterb17 said:

 

Is there a heterosexual lobby- are you beaten up or killed because of your sexuality? 

 

Would be very grateful - how on earth is this related to the ' so called homosexual lobby' ? 

 

Will wait for your enlightened reply 

it is the homosexual lobby that is/was pushing for sex change surgery in Prisons! google it. do you think that the little homosexual could come up with this on his own? get a life, if you want to defend the homosexuals do so, but check things out before you reply. if I told you what I REALLY think about this the moderators

 would be banning me AGAIN! so use your imagination.  

[ClutchClark]

22 hours ago, peterb17 said:

 

Is there a heterosexual lobby- are you beaten up or killed because of your sexuality? 

 

Would be very grateful - how on earth is this related to the ' so called homosexual lobby' ? 

 

Will wait for your enlightened reply 

 

Was Mr/Mrs Manning beaten up or  at risk of being kied at any time? It is my understanding he/she spends his/her day in solitary.

 

Is this sex change/gender reassignment surgery a life saving operation? Is her life at risk?

 

What happens when Mr/Mrs Manning changes his/her mind a few years from now and decides he/she wants to be a fella again?