SENATE DOCKET, NO. 37        FILED ON: 1/8/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1003

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Diana DiZoglio

_________________

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:

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 37        FILED ON: 1/8/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1003

By Ms. DiZoglio, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1003) of Diana DiZoglio for legislation to deny paternity rights to rapists.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 924 OF 2019-2020.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

 

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 1.  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.