State Rep. John Gaskey, R-Carver, says he will file legislation to improve parental rights after a Catholic Massachusetts family said the state took custody of their daughter after they refused to treat her as a boy.
Gaskey announced the proposal Tuesday in response to the case involving Joseph and Arlene Kutzko of Southborough.
“Every parent in Massachusetts needs to pay close attention to what happened to this family,” Gaskey said. “A public school and state bureaucrats allegedly facilitated a child’s gender transition, excluded her parents from the process, and then used the power of the state against those parents when they stood by their faith and judgment. The state has not merely crossed a line. It has destroyed it.”
Gaskey said his proposal would make three changes to state law.
Public schools would have to tell parents when a minor seeks counseling related to gender identity, asks to use a different name or pronouns or receives a referral for medical treatment. Schools could not help a student socially transition without telling the parents.
The measure would also say that a parent’s refusal to socially or medically transition a child under 18, by itself, does not amount to abuse or neglect.
It would also say that parents have the primary right to determine their children’s health care, mental health treatment, education and moral upbringing.
“Children belong to their families, not to government agencies, school administrators, or state bureaucrats,” Gaskey said. “As a parent and a state representative, I took an oath to uphold our Constitution, defend our fundamental civil rights, and protect the families of the Commonwealth. Stripping parents of their authority over ideological disagreements is unacceptable and must stop.”
It comes after many news outlets, including NewBostonPost and Fox News, reported on the Kutzko family’s fight with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
The Kutzkos say staff at Algonquin Regional High School started treating their daughter, Sophie, as a boy without telling them.
The parents refused to do the same. They say doing so would violate their Catholic faith.
DCF took custody of Sophie in December 2024, when she was 15. She is now 17.
The family’s lawyer, Vernadette Broyles, said the school’s actions led directly to DCF getting involved.
“So there was a direct school to DCF pipeline in this case as we have seen elsewhere,” Broyles told Fox.
A Massachusetts judge temporarily blocked testosterone treatment for the girl on September 11. The issue remains before the court, with another hearing scheduled for October 29.
Gaskey said the Kutzko case shows why Massachusetts needs more protections for parents.
“No child should be placed on a life-altering path without meaningful informed consent, and no loving parent should risk losing custody simply for questioning that path,” Gaskey said. “Parents have a fundamental right to raise and protect their children without unwarranted state interference. I will continue fighting to ensure that right is respected throughout Massachusetts.”
Gaskey told Massachusetts residents who support the proposal to contact their state lawmakers.
“It is time for Massachusetts to draw a clear line,” Gaskey said. “Parents must never be treated as an obstacle to their children’s well-being. They are their children’s first and most important protectors.”
