Distressed mother with her child (Shutterstock)
A Maryland legislative panel comprised of five male lawmakers passed on an opportunity to allow victims of rape to deny visitation rights to their attackers.
According to the Daily Beast, a bill by Maryland Delegate Kathleen Dumais that would cut off visitation rights to rapists was passed by both Maryland houses.
With a legislative deadline looming the separate bills were were submitted to the all-male committee to hammer out that language where it sat and died.
According to NARAL, Maryland is one of only seven states that does not have a law on the books allowing women to terminate the visitation and parental rights for their rapists if their child was conceived as a result of the assault.
According to the Beast, the bill cannot be reconsidered until the theMaryland General Assembly reconvenes until its 2018 session om January 10.
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