Bill > S875

This bill aims to protect victims of rape and children conceived during the commission of such offenses. Key provisions include: 1. Establishing a rebuttable presumption that a defendant who is the biological source of a child conceived during the commission of a sexual assault is unfit for sole, shared legal, or shared physical custody of the child. This presumption can only be overcome for shared legal or physical custody through a clear and convincing finding by the court that the defendant is a fit parent. 2. Allowing courts to require the convicted defendant to pay monetary restitution for the consequences of the nonconsensual conception and to modify any previous custody orders. 3. Prohibiting courts from granting visitation rights to a person convicted of or pleading guilty to a sexual assault if the child was conceived during the commission of that offense. 4. Creating an irrebuttable presumption of unfitness and the need to dispense with parental consent for adoption if the court finds the child was conceived during the commission of a sexual assault.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S875