Legislative Alert for SB78 The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act

PLEASE CALL: Urge a favorable report on SB78, The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act. It's time to bring the bill up for a vote! 5% of rape victims of reproductive age (age 12-45) became pregnant as a result of rape, with the majority of pregnancies in adolescents.  Under current Maryland state law, rapists who impregnate women in the course of sexually assaulting them have the same full parental rights as other biological parents Senate Bill 78 will change this.  The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act, Senate Bill 78, sponsored by Senator Raskin and co-sponsored by 29 additional Senators, will allow rape victims who become pregnant as a result of rape to ask the family law court to end the parental rights of their rapist.  The high standard of clear and convincing proof used in other termination of parental rights cases would be required. Rape victims should have to meet the same standard used in other termination of parental rights cases – no more, no less. Additionally, if a rapist-parent cannot be located, this bill would require that the victim’s name be withheld from publications in the media. MCASA continues to support legislation that limits the parental rights of rapists when the child was conceived through rape and to increase protections for rape survivors who have a child conceived through rape. Senate Bill 78 will be voted on soon. Please call to urge the Chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to vote in favor of SB78, and to show support for rape survivors who choose to have a child conceived through rape. The email addresses and telephone numbers for the Chairman and the Committee members are provided below for your convenience, and we invite you to visit http://www.mcasa.org/law-public-policy/legislative-agenda/ to learn more about this year’s MCASA legislative agenda.   Thank you, as always, for your support for sexual assault survivors.   Lisae C. Jordan Executive Director and Counsel   Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Phone Numbers & Emails: If you live in a jurisdiction that is not listed, that means no one from your county sits on the Committee.  Please call or email the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee at the contact information listed below. Baltimore County Senator Bobby A. Zirkin- Chair Phone: 410-841-3131 | 301-858-3131 Email: [email protected]   Senator James Brochin Phone: 410-823-7087 Email: [email protected]   Baltimore City Senator Lisa A. Gladden- Vice Chair Phone: 410-367-5811 Email: [email protected]   Carroll and Frederick Counties Senator Michael J. Hough  Phone: 301-858-3704 Email: [email protected]   Cecil and Harford Counties Senator Wayne Norman  Phone: 410-734-6471 Email: [email protected]   Harford County Senator Bob Cassilly  Phone: 410-841-3158 | 301-858-3158 Email: [email protected]   Montgomery County Senator Susan C. Lee  Phone: 301-858-3124 Email: [email protected]   Senator Jamie Raskin  Phone: 301-858-3634 Email: [email protected]   Prince George's County Senator C. Anthony Muse  Phone: 301-292-2388 Email: [email protected]   Senator Victor R. Ramirez  Phone: 301-858-3745 Email: [email protected]