posted by: Megan Drake 18 hours ago
When do you decide enough is enough?
We all have different points at which that conclusion is reached. A thirty year veteran in animal rescue and North Carolina native, Beth McDuffie, 53, reached it last year when she was called by her local shelter to help with three Pit bull puppies that wouldn't eat. The why is unspeakable but will be addressed later in this post.
Suffice it to say, this was a turning point for McDuffie. And the turn she took is to start stepping away from rescuing so she can dedicate her efforts to getting laws changed. Her goal, ultimately, is for a federal law to be passed making bestiality a felony throughout the U.S. Adding to the fact McDuffie suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and her husband is 20 years her senior, she admits it is time to let her best efforts be directed by what her limitations will allow.
McDuffie knows just how difficult a battle she has chosen as evidenced by the negative response she is receiving from those in her community. But she is determined. She has spent the past year researching laws throughout the different states and discovered only 17 states make bestiality a felony. They are: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
Fourteen states consider it a misdemeanor, those being: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.
The remaining states do not address bestiality as a crime against animals. They are: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Montana, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. Some of those states do consider it a misdemeanor if pornography or a minor child is involved.
Evidently, the fact that animals are possessions under the law does not allow for compassion toward the actual abuse victim -- the animal -- regarding bestiality.
McDuffie's plan is to gather enough momentum from the public to get a law put before the North Carolina legislature. Once she succeeds in getting it passed, she plans on lobbying for a federal law addressing the issue and making it a felony. She will need to find volunteers in each of the 50 states to work with her on contacting legislators and initiating the legal process for introduction of Charity's Law.
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