Women Get Weary

While we may sing “It’s Great Being a Girl,” there are a few legal aspects of being female in Pennsylvania that are not so splendid.

Take occupation. Should you happen to find yourself in a particular occupation at least one Philadelphia judge has decided that you cannot file charges for a particular crime. A prostitute made arrangements with a guy for certain services in exchange for a certain amount. The guy showed up with 3 friends and a gun. A fifth man arrived later but declined to participate and helped the woman leave. The woman filed rape charges but the judge in the case, Teresa Carr Deni, instead held the defendant on “theft of services.” (Source: "Hooker raped and robbed -- by justice system," by Jill Porter, Daily News 10/12). I believe but am not certain that Judge Deni is up for retention this year. Just saying that any Philadelphia voters might want to look that ballot over carefully.

If an accountant had made an appointment to do someone’s taxes and the guy showed up with 5 friends and a gun and held the gun to the accountant’s head and insisted he do their taxes also (for no charge), that would be assault, don’t you think? If someone a shade tree mechanic (unlicensed) had made arrangements to change someone’s oil and the guy showed up with 5 friends and a gun and held the gun to the mechanic’s head and insisted that he change the other guys’ oil, too, that would be assault, yes? Would anyone think to use “theft of services” in these cases? I doubt it.

Once that slippery slope is crossed it quickly becomes “Well, I thought she was….” “She looked like ….” “She dressed like ….”

So what happens if the average woman is mistaken for someone who cannot file charges for a particular crime? Well, if you find yourself in the emergency rooms of certain hospitals don’t expect to be given the option of emergency contraception. Pennsylvania is still deciding whether hospitals are required to provide that service to women. No one is forcing the woman to take the medication, only to offer her the choice. (Source: "Bill: Hospitals must offer Plan B in rapes," by Angela Couloumbis, Inquirer 10/03). Note: If you want to follow the debate on this bill, HB 288, good luck to you. The bill history says it was last discussed on Oct 3rd and to see the House Journal for remarks. However, the most recent issue of the House Journal available at this time is for June.

If a woman finds herself in a situation where she needs to try to get child support, let’s hope she has some cash around the house. There is sometimes a fee for filing child support papers. It varies by county and there is the option of declaring oneself a pauper if paying the filing fee is a hardship. For example, in Franklin County the fees are:

The Franklin County Domestic Relations Section is responsible for the administration of child / spouse support Enforcement Program which consists of: Case Initiation, Paternity Determination, Location of Absent Parents, Establishment and Modification of Support Orders, and Enforcement of Financial and Non-Financial Orders.

Fees include: $45.00 Filing Fee, $186.00 Genetic test Fee, $26.00 Annual Service Fee.

In other counties the fees are much less.

These examples do not necessarily flow together well. I’ve just noticed all of them in the news lately and thought I would tack them all up on the bulletin board together.