All-Male Committee Neglects to Repeal Law Requiring Women to Share Custody with Their Assailants

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Five male lawmakers in Maryland recently failed to protect women from a troubling law that mandates survivors of sexual assault to co-parent with their attackers. This legislation requires these women to negotiate child custody arrangements with those who violated them, forcing them into a situation that is nothing short of a nightmare.

Currently, Maryland is one of just seven states that does not allow women to sever the parental rights of their rapists, as noted by the reproductive rights group NARAL. Imagine the emotional turmoil for women who find themselves raising a child conceived through such trauma, only to have their assailant continue to exert influence in their lives for nearly two decades. According to NARAL’s Maryland branch, “If she chooses to raise the child herself, it could mean her rapist inserting himself into her life for the next 18 years.” Some rapists have even held up adoption proceedings, demanding victims not testify against them in exchange for allowing the adoption to proceed. So, it appears that we are allowing rapists to terrorize their victims from behind bars—great job, gentlemen.

Delegate Lisa Hartman attempted to address this issue by proposing legislation aimed at allowing women to terminate their rapist’s parental rights. While her bill gained traction, passing both the House and Senate, a five-man negotiating group failed to finalize the legislation before time ran out at the end of the session. Hartman reportedly left the meeting visibly distressed, feeling that reaching a compromise was impossible.

Now, Maryland women who have been assaulted and become pregnant will have to wait until the next legislative session in 2018 for any hope of change. Unfortunately, those affected don’t have the privilege of ignoring this pressing issue for ten months.

The five men who turned their backs on the women of Maryland are Mark Johnson, Alex Turner, Brian Richards, James Foster, and Peter Jennings.

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In summary, the failure to repeal a law that forces rape survivors to share custody with their attackers is a shocking oversight by Maryland’s male politicians, leaving these women to navigate an incredibly difficult situation without support.