SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1295        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 919

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kathleen O'Connor Ives

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act denying paternity rights to perpetrators of rape.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Kathleen O'Connor Ives

First Essex

 

Barbara A. L'Italien

Second Essex and Middlesex

2/2/2017

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

2/2/2017

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

2/2/2017

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/3/2017

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

6/6/2017


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1295        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 919

By Ms. O'Connor Ives, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 919) of Kathleen O'Connor Ives, Barbara A. L'Italien, James B. Eldridge, Linda Dean Campbell and others for legislation to deny paternity rights to rapists.  The Judiciary.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act denying paternity rights to perpetrators of rape.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 3 of chapter 209C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection (e) the following subsection:- (f) Where a court finds by clear and convincing evidence that a child was conceived by an act of rape, as defined in sections 22 and 22A of chapter 265, the court shall not establish paternity in favor of the perpetrator of the rape or grant the perpetrator of the rape custody or visitation rights or any other parental rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this section shall: 1) prevent a court from ordering that the perpetrator of the rape pay child support; or 2) limit the right of the child to inherit from or through the perpetrator of the rape.