OLYMPIA – A bill that will remove legal barriers for women seeking to terminate the parental rights of their rapists is one step away from becoming law.
HB 1543, sponsored by Rep. Beth Doglio (D-Olympia) would close a current gap in state law that forces some mothers to co-parent a child that was conceived from a rape.
“Women who become pregnant face tremendous legal challenges when trying to terminate the parental rights of their rapist,” said Doglio, speaking in support of the bill. “No woman should ever be forced to co-parent with their rapist.”
About one in three women in Washington experience a sexual assault in their lifetime, according to the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. The vast majority of rapes are underreported and under prosecuted. The current legal process for terminating the parental rights of a rapist can be impossible for some women to navigate, which forces many rape survivors to co-parent their child with their attacker.
Rachel Gropper from Franklin County told her story to the House Judiciary committee. Rachel was drugged and raped when she was 18.
“I had a sexual assault protection order before a parenting plan,” said Gropper. “I am now forced to co-parent with the man who raped me and it’s very unfair.”
Rep. Doglio’s bill will create a court process that provides rape survivors with a legal pathway to terminate or restrict the rapist’s parental rights by presenting clear and convincing evidence that the pregnancy was a result of the rape.
The Senate approved an amended version of the bill in March. The amended version was approved by the House of Representatives today by a vote of 96-0. The bill now goes to Governor Inslee for his consideration.