Senator Tarr's Statement on the DOC’s Decision to Appeal Latest Ruling in Kosilek Case

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) released the following statement today following reports that the Department of Corrections will appeal a 2-1 decision made by a panel of First Circuit of Appeals judges that ruled to uphold U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf’s 2012 ruling that the Department of Corrections were in violation of Michelle Kosilek’s constitutional rights by denying her gender reassignment surgery:

“The recent decision made by a panel of First Circuit Court of Appeals judges to uphold an earlier decision ordering the Department of Corrections to provide a gender reassignment surgery for a convicted killer is not only outrageous, but injudicious.  Providing extraordinary surgery for someone who has committed 1st degree murder isn’t a wise decision for state tax payers and certainly doesn’t serve the interests of justice in Massachusetts or a precedent for the rest of the country.

I applaud Governor Patrick and the Department of Corrections’ decision to appeal this ruling. It sets a bad precedent that will result in serious ramifications that go beyond just the borders of the Commonwealth.”