Vatican condemns free sex change hormones

VATICAN CITY, June 9 (Reuters) The Vatican's newspaper today criticised the government of the Tuscany region in Italy for deciding to provide free hormone treatment for patients undergoing sex change operations.

L'Osservatore Romano called the decision by the Tuscany regional government earlier this week ''incredible''.

''The problem is not cost, it's principle,'' the newspaper said.

''Faced with problems that afflict health care in Tuscany, waiting lists for operations, (insufficient funds for) chemotherapy and inadequate numbers of medical staff, perhaps it would have been better not to give precedence to hormonal treatment for sex changes,'' the paper said.

Tuscany is the first Italian region to provide such treatment free as part of its regional health service.

REUTERS SHR PM1935