The Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence strongly supports a current bill in the Maryland Legislature that would classify intentional strangulation and suffocation as first degree assaults, rather than the second degree offenses that they are currently charged as.
The Coalition submitted written testimony to the Maryland House Judiciary Committee, arguing for passage of House Bill 233, considering the health effects of strangulation, its pervasiveness in domestic assaults, and its ability to predict future lethality. Read testimony here: Coalition’s Strangulation Bill support 1.27.20
The Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW) urges Maryland residents to contact their legislators in favor of this legislation. Read more: MLAW Legislative -Alert Support HB233-SB212 – Criminal Law – Assault in the First Degree – Suffocation or Strangulation
A recent article in the Frederick News Post details the level of support across the state, including strong support in the health care community:
