Friday, January 31, 2014
Statement on the DOC’s Decision to Appeal Latest Kosilek Ruling
Today I released the
following statement 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.”
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