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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Lawmaker fights to close Md. loophole allowing rapists to seek custody of child conceived during attack

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJLA) – A Montgomery County lawmaker is getting some help from an unexpected source to close a stunning legal loophole in Maryland. It allows rapists the right to seek custody if the crime results in a pregnancy. But after proposing a bill to change that in seven sessions, Delegate Kathleen Dumais is hoping some national attention will make a difference.

Dumais' proposal is getting a push thanks to The Daily Show, which recently did an episode publicly shaming several states, including Maryland, for giving rapists custody rights. It's an issue Dumais has been fighting to fix with the Maryland Coalition Against Sex Assault (MCASA).

Lisae Jordan, MCASA's executive director, says, "It's really frustrating that we've tried this bill over and over again and we're running into roadblocks."

Those obstacles have kept the bill, which has previously received large support, from moving forward.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

God bless her and the Daily Show for supporting the right thing.

Shame on Maryland.

Anonymous said...

Any judge or politician who would stand in the way of this reform, should have their name made public so they can be rightfully shamed, and run out of office. Sad thing is, I'd bet most of them also work to restrict women's access to reproductive choices.

Anonymous said...

does this mean we can now sue and arrest the Democrats for raping Marylanders?

Anonymous said...

This shouldn't be a question. It should be. Period.

lmclain said...

NAME
THE
POLITICIANS
WHO
OPPOSE
THIS
BILL.
Then hang them.