Support the Rape Survivor Family Protection Act:

House Judiciary Committee Hearing 2/9

Call Leadership With Your Support!

The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) continues to support legislation to limit 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. Current law gives rapists who cause a child to be conceived the same rights as other biological parents. Additionally, if a rapist-parent cannot be located, current law requires that the victim’s name be published in the newspaper. HB428/SB574 would allow for the termination of a rapist's parental rights with a clear and convincing standard of evidence. This is the same standard used in other family law cases that result in the termination of parental rights. The House Judiciary Committee hearing is scheduled for Thursday, February 9th at 1:00 pm.   Please call committee leadership and your delegates and let them know you support HB428. The importance of this issue was highlighted on the The Daily Show in 2015, and the lack of legal options for survivors remains a critical issue in Maryland. Since The Daily Show aired this piece, 14 more states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to protect survivors who have children conceived through rape. Maryland is now one of only 7 states not providing these protections. Contact information for the House Judiciary Committee is below. To learn more about MCASA's 2017 legislative agenda and how you can help, visit http://www.mcasa.org/law-public-policy/legislative-agenda/. Thank you for your activism and support for sexual assault survivors. We must continue to speak up and speak out. Lisae Lisae C. Jordan Executive Director and Counsel