Colm Keaveney is a Labour Party Councillor in East Galway and a SIPTU official. He has stood unsuccessfully in two general elections for the party, left the party for a while in 2007 and rejoined in 2008.
In today’s Sunday Tribume, Cllr. Keaveney gives his opinion on the matter of HSE spending and how one group don’t deserve it and should wait their turn. Cllr. Keaveney thinks that the 22 people who in the last ten years have been supported to undergo gender reassignment are 22 operations too many when there are others waiting for surgery for hearing aid implants. He plays the trans fear card.
“When allocating scarce resources, we must establish what actually delivers best value for society and the individual,” he said.
“Depriving children of necessary aids and appliances at this point in their life will have a devastating social outcome in later years when compared to some very expensive procedures being paid for by the taxpayer.
“While I understand this may be offensive to transgender people, I would ask them to look at this through the eyes of a parent and try to empathise with how they feel about their child’s wellbeing.
“Given the dire straits the country finds itself in, it is vital that we focus government spending on areas that will deliver positive results for our society in the long run.”
Not sure if Colm knows anything about transgender issues and the impact of waiting for surgery on peoples lives or indeed the impact of politicians spouting this sort of rubbish on the safety and mental health of transgendered people in Ireland. Well given that Colm was President of USI when I knew him and supported the development of structures for lgbt students one might have thought he would know better. It’s fairly clear he can’t see things with their eyes and empathise with them.
Transgender Equality Network Ireland point out that transgendered people are also part of Irish society and tax payers and ‘are entitled to access healthcare appropriate to their specific needs, just like other people living in Ireland.’
I assume the Labour Party health spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan will be along shortly to clarify matters.
Jesus, I’d hope she’d “clarify” that pretty soon. Seems to think that gender issues are a luxury for boom times, but now we can only deal with “real” issues. Bizarre.
Digest – July 25 2010 – The Story // Jul 26, 2010 at 01:00
[...] read: Suzy Byrne; playing games with people’s health. Colm Keaveney is a Labour Party Councillor in East Galway and a SIPTU [...]
Maman Poulet » Labour Party distance themselves from Keaveney comments // Jul 26, 2010 at 15:36
[...] | Tagged as: Irish Politics, LGBT A spokesperson for the Labour Party has distanced the party from comments made by Cllr Colm Keaveney on medical treatment required by people undergoing gender [...]
“While I understand this may be offensive to transgender people, I would ask them to look at this through the eyes of a parent and try to empathise with how they feel about their child’s wellbeing.
“Given the dire straits the country finds itself in, it is vital that we focus government spending on areas that will deliver positive results for our society in the long run”
I presume from this piece of magical logic that his next step will be to call of a moratorium on hip replacements for those over 65 until every problem with children’s health is sorted out. After all it’s the best approach for delivering positive results in the long run and since the parents of most people over 65 are dead we don’t have to worry to much about empathising with them. I also think we should ban all sports, socialising and staying over at our friends at the weekends until everyone is fit and healthy and has a job.
This is a classic case of diverting the thoughts from the real issues by using a scapegoat. Here the real issue being obscured is the one of improving efficiencies because doing so is a hard task. So instead, the attempt is to take a safely and easily marginalized group and weigh their needs against our own so that all of sudden, the us-versus-them oversimplification takes hold. That way people forget that improving efficiencies could help everyone.
I’ve a different suggestion that the good cllr might consider remove the tax deduction on union contributions and think of how many hearing aids could we buy then!
Am I right in thinking this is €100,000 over 10 years? That’s tiny compared to the 10 year HSE budget
Firstly the cost of M2F SRS operations are under €28,000 and could be a lot less if the HSE did some shopping around. As low as under €10,000
Without going into medical details, the situation with a transgender person is not that it is a lifestyle choice, but rather it’s a life saving operation going through SRS. Being diagnosed with this condition and the medical and surgical treatment being administered stops suicide, self harm, depression etc.
The mental and other associated costs of not treating someone who is transgender will be much more than the SRS surgical cost and will exceed it plus those people will go on to lead productive lives… Holding down jobs and paying taxes back to the state.
Many people in Ireland pay for their own operations in Thailand because they cannot wait and can afford it. The problem occurs with the working poor who cannot do this. I know around half a dozen who have paid their own costs. Others who are the working poor turn to prostitution to fund their operation. Do people really want that and all the dangers that go with prostitution?
What Keaveney said was said because of ignorance, but what his remarks will do is fuel hate crimes against those who are transgendered, and that can and does lead to murder, verbal and physical abuse.
Instead of comparing two minorities what he should have done is called for greater efficiency within the HSE /government waste environment so that children and all minority groups are given treatment.
If you want to see someone with courage have a look at this video
http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=…w=&video=25223
Complaint regarding Keaveney not investigated // Dec 18, 2010 at 01:04
[...] to stand in Galway East is Cllr. Colm Keaveney who readers may remember made statements regarding the funding of treatment for Transgendered people and that there should be no further funding provided whilst children required operations for [...]