2/26/18 - Missouri Mondays - Tell your Representative and Senator to pass HB 1558 making Revenge Porn a felony!
CALL TO ACTION!
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Tell your Representative and Senator to pass HB 1558 making Revenge Porn a felony!
Don’t know your State Representative? Find out here: http://www.house.mo.gov/legislatorlookup.aspx
Don’t know your State Senator? Find out here: http://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx
Last week in stunning news a St. Louis grand jury indicted Gov. Eric Greitens on one count of felony invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a semi-nude photo of the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair and then threatened that he would publish the photo if she revealed their relationship.
Our existing invasion of privacy law in Missouri only addresses whether someone has given their initial consent to be photographed and doesn’t address whether they gave consent for sharing it. HB 1558 would make non-consensual distribution of a private sexual image a class D felony. It also makes threatening to distribute such an image in return for some gain or some action or inaction a class E felony. Civil action would remain an additional option for the victim of such a crime.
Indivisible MO supports HB 1558 because:
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We must not tolerate invasion of privacy and threats of blackmail that could have enormous and life-altering repercussions. We have recently seen the exploitation of countless women and some men revealed through the Me Too movement. Revenge porn can cause irreparable harm by destroying careers, damaging relationships, and ruining lives. We must not allow it to go unpunished!
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Missouri must join the majority of the country in reducing the prevalence of revenge porn by enacting tough laws like HB 1558. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia now have laws against Revenge Porn. Some are more severe than others. We must discourage this practice with harsh criminal consequences.
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To be effective, revenge porn laws must contain important elements such as harsh punishments and no need to prove motive. HB 1558 contains these key elements. Not all revenge porn laws are created equal. In some states revenge porn is a misdemeanor, HB 1558 makes it a felony. Victims in Missouri deserve these protections!
Sample Call Script:
“Hi, my name is __________, I'm a constituent from ___________, and I am calling to ask Representative/Senator ________to vote for HB 1558 because _____________.”
References:
http://krcgtv.com/news/local/revenge-porn-bill-back-before-state-lawmakers
http://fox4kc.com/2018/02/21/missouri-lawmakers-considering-bill-to-make-revenge-porn-a-felony/
https://www.cybercivilrights.org/anatomy-effective-revenge-porn-law/
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