Maryland passes bill stripping rapists of parental rights … finally

This is undoubtedly good news, but I’m having a hard time cheering it:

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.

[…]

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.

Alternate reading: It somehow took a decade and ten tries for state lawmakers to decide that rapists shouldn’t get any input in what their victims do with their pregnancies. This isn’t a brave victory; this is a male-dominated legislature finally pulling its head out of its ass to pass legislation that’s such a no-brainer it never should have been an issue.

Still, at least it’s finally done in Maryland. Now if we could do the same thing in all those other states that still allow rapists to hound their victims over visitation rights.

(via @CBCAlerts)