Colorado bill would prevent rapists from receiving parental rights

http://www.examiner.com/article/colorado-bill-would-prevent-rapists-from-receiving-parental-rights

by Robert Sobel, examiner.com
April 30th 2013

Here's an alarming fact. Out of the 50 states in the country, 31 allow some sort of visitation or custody rights for the father of a baby. Doesn't sound so bad does it? When you realize that the father is a rapist then your opinion might change.

A recent article from Salon has highlighted a topic that is not often talked about. Across all 50 states in the country, women have been attacked, raped and then become pregnant. The situation is one that is difficult to think about and even scarier to know that it actually happens. A report by Georgetown University in 2010 notes that between 33 percent and 64 percent of women who are rapped, decide to keep the child. In an ironic twist of fate following the comments of some Republicans in 2012, Republican state Rep. Lois Landgraf of Colorado has sponsored a bill that would prevent rapists from receiving parental rights.

Rep. Lois Landgraf: First of all they’re faced with the horrible trauma of being raped and then faced with a difficult decision of if I do get pregnant do they keep the child and if they keep the child will they face some relationship with the rapist.

The bill would also require the rapist to pay child support, despite not receiving any parental rights. The bill passed unanimously out of the State Senate and would apply to convictions after July 1, 2013. Arkansas passed similar legislation earlier this year.