No parental rights to fetus for rapists in Maryland

USA - Maryland has finally joined most states in allowing impregnated rape victims to deny their attackers parental rights to the fetus, it was reported on Wednesday.

More than 10 years after supporters began pushing for it, Maryland’s legislature has decided - with unanimous votes in the Senate and House - to enable impregnated rape victims to ask judges to end the parental rights of their rapists. Supporters say it has become embarrassing that a state known for its progressive politics is one of the last to adopt such a law.

They also credit a growing sense of female empowerment for making the issue a priority.

‘I think we were moving in the direction of getting done this year, period, but I think the #MeToo movement certainly helped,’ said Del. Kathleen Dumais, a Democrat who practices family law. All 188 seats in the General Assembly, where senators and delegates serve simultaneous four-year terms, are on November’s ballot. So is the governor’s office. Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, expressed early support and noted during his State of the State speech last week that he would sign it. Crafted as an emergency bill, it will take effect with his signature, potentially within days. The measure will enable a woman who becomes pregnant by her assailant to ask a court to end the attacker’s parental rights. The woman must provide ‘clear and convincing’ proof that the man raped her. That is lower than the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ threshold needed for criminal convictions, and some civil libertiesminded lawmakers had opposed the idea for years to avoid revoking the rights of people who have not been criminally convicted. Women lawmakers now comprise 32 percent of Maryland’s legislature, ranking 10th in the nation for female participation, and have never held more than 36 percent of the seats, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. About 45 states and the District of Columbia limit parental rights of rapists, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. About 30 allow or require the complete termination of rights. The other states and the District of Columbia deny or restrict some aspect, such as custody or visitation. (Daily Mail)