ABSTRACT
Rabbi Waldenberg is considered the pre-eminent religious legal authority in Israel and in most sites outside the United States. He is thought to have particular authority in medical matters. He is the only religious authority to have addressed the question of transsexuals. Rabbi Waldenberg noted that preventing transsexuals from having either gender reassignment surgery or cross-dressing would, while preventing the clear violation of prolonged cross-dressing and the violation of self-castration, have a high chance to leading to death from suicide. The mainstream Church of England does not seem to have a doctrinal position on change of gender role. The Jehovah's Witness view faith seems to have a doctrinally based objection to both a change of gender role and gender reassignment surgery, particularly when the change is from male to female. The only clear, public statement about transsexuals and gender reassignment surgery in an Islamic context dates from 1987.
