DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP):

A judge on Wednesday cleared the way for a 48-year-old transgender woman to undergo gender-reassignment surgery, rejecting her parents' effort to block the operation because they say she's mentally incompetent.

Christine Kitzler, testifying at an emergency hearing, showed a clear understanding of the three-hour procedure and its risks, Judge C. Theodore Fritsch Jr. said. He dismissed her parents' demand that he appoint a legal guardian and subject her to an independent medical exam.

Kitzler's lawyers and Philadelphia-area surgeon were trying to schedule the operation for this week. The surgeon, Dr Christine McGinn, said she would cover the cost. The operation had been set for Tuesday before Klaus and Ingrid Kitzler won a temporary injunction.

Christine Kitzler said having her body match the gender she has identified with since growing up outside Cleveland, Ohio, would save her from backsliding into alcohol and drug addiction.

Her parents argued that a childhood learning disorder and depression had compromised her judgement and that her HIV and hepatitis C diagnoses would make the surgery far riskier.