The Kentucky Senate has unanimously approved a bill terminating parental or custody rights of anyone convicted of felony rape when the mother chooses to keep the child.
The bill was brought by Monticello Senator Sarah Beth Gregory.
"I think most people are surprised to learn that under current Kentucky law a mother who's been a rape victim and the child can be subjected to years of a court battle with the convicted rapist father over custody and visitation rights with regard to the child,” said Gregory.
Gregory says the bill also requires the father to pay child support and states he cannot inherit property from the child.
The southern Kentucky lawmaker says this issue drew national attention following the Ariel Castro case. He was the man who held three women hostage in Cleveland Ohio for years before they escaped. Castro sought visitation for a six-year-old child he fathered with one of his captives.
Castro committed suicide in December while incarcerated.
