Just a couple of days ago — the day after the anniversary of my rape, I testified before a House committee in the Wyoming legislature on a bill to protect women like me from their rapist having parental rights. I’m thrilled to report it passed nearly unanimously out of committee, but we still need it passed in the full House and Senate. The sole nay vote was Rep. Clark hStith. https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2019/HB01077
This is my testimony. . . .
My name is Aimee Kidd. I was raped January 30, 2016 while I lay in bed comatose with my toddler sleeping in my arms. I only found out I was raped because I discovered I was pregnant on March 3, 2016, and on March 8, 2016, I filed a police report.
Despite having filed a report and persistently following up with it, including speaking up at a televised city council meeting during my pregnancy, my rapist wasn’t formally questioned by police until after my baby was born in October, 2016.
At that point, the police took DNA samples from all three of us, and DNA confirmed he is the biological father of my child. But no arrest was ever made. Thankfully, I have not seen or heard from him in 2 years, and I have raised my daughter on my own.
When I learned I was pregnant by rape, I couldn’t get my hands on enough information. Scared, I wanted information about types of abortions. I wanted information about support groups for women who have been pregnant as a result of rape (there aren’t many.) I wanted information about laws and convictions regarding rape. I wanted information about the “process” and why it seemed no one was doing anything to help me.
I was appalled when I learned in Wyoming, rapists have parental rights to the children they conceive through rape, and that there is absolutely NO law to terminate the parental rights of a rapist — even with a conviction. How can this be?
The District Attorney decided not to prosecute my rapist. I was told that, like most rapes, it was he said/she said and would be too difficult to convince a jury it was rape in my case. So I will never see my day in court.
Imagine being faced the knowledge you have been raped. Now imagine you are pregnant because of that rape. You decide to carry your baby and go on to love and parent that child.
Now imagine you’re laying in the hospital and scared to death he might show up. Imagine living in fear everyday that your rapist will demand to see YOUR baby. My rapist hasn’t done that yet (praise God). If he did, it would certainly be only to hurt me and not because he gives a damn about MY baby.
Please protect me from the reality of this nightmare that legally I could be forced to co-parent my precious little baby with a monster. It’s taken years to get this legislation introduced — Wyoming is one of only four states left which has no law protecting rape victim mothers.
Please support Wyoming’s HB 107 with no amendments. Most rapes are never prosecuted in a court of law. We will never see a conviction. It is imperative the bill is approved without a conviction being required. Support it for the women like me who will never see our day in court and just want to love our babies. We chose life. Don’t punish mothers and babies for the sins of the father.
I am so thankful to Jim Blackburn who sponsored and presented this bill to protect women and babies. I am truly thankful to him for all of his efforts.
BIO: Aimee Kidd is a mother of 6, self-employed, in Casper, Wyoming, is a speaker and is a pro-life blogger for Save The 1. Read Aimee’s original blog http://www.savethe1.com/2016/12/12/she-has-no-part-in-any-of-the-ugliness-surrounding-her-conception-by-aimee-kidd/ and follow-up blog where she shares how she came to realize life was the right choice: http://savethe1.blogspot.com/2017/01/raped-pregnant-and-determined-to-abort.html
