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In 7 US states, rape victims can be legally forced to share custody of their children with their rapist fathers
[FoxNews] Maryland delegate Kathleen Dumais had introduced the legislation -- her ninth time trying to pass a bill that changes the law surrounding custody rights for rape victims."After nine years, Maryland can do better," Maryland State Sen. Cheryl Kagan told Fox News. Delegate David Moon, a Democrat, told Fox News on Friday that the bill failed because the session timed out -- not for lack of support. Moon and two others on the panel -- State Sen. William Smith Jr., a Democrat, and Delegate Brett Wilson, a Republican -- were original co-sponsors of the legislation. But Maryland State Sen. Michael Hough, a Republican on the panel, said he thinks the bill "got tanked on purpose." "Democratic leadership scheduled the conference to meet at 11 p.m., an hour before the session was to end," Hough told Fox News. "This bill has been floating around for almost 10 years." Hough, who has always supported the bill, noted a provision within it he said presents legal hurdles. The legislation calls for the termination of parental rights for "alleged rapists," he said. "If it just dealt with convicted rapists, it would be cut-and-dried," Hough said. "Because it's about alleged rapists, there’s a lot of legal challenges." Posted by: Skidmark 2017-04-22 |
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