Monday, 1 May 2023

The Powerful Story Behind Florida Bill HB1297 to Protect Children

 

Christina Meredith

 

Reported on recent bills in Florida that would allow for the execution of child rapists.

The Florida House passed HB1297, a bill that allows for the death penalty for rapists of children under the age of 12 without jury unanimity, by a 95-14 vote.

Christina Meredith, a former candidate for the Florida House of Representatives,  is a passionate foster care activist and mental health advocate who fought to make this bill happen.

Her passion is borne from her own story as a survivor of childhood rape.  Despite the challenges she faced, Meredith’s personal and professional path has been inspirational. A former homeless foster youth, she went on to win Ms. California. Currently, she serves in the US Army and continues to dedicate herself to protecting children from abuse and advocating for foster care reform.

In 2020, she shared her efforts on passing Christina’s Law and the work of her nonprofit organization.

Cristina shared her thoughts on the passing of House Bill 1297 and the culmination of her efforts to protect children from abuse.

Her fight is especially important in light of HHS whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas’ shocking testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee where she explained that in the United States children will work at slaughter houses, factories, and restaurants to pay their debt to the smugglers, traffickers and cartels.

And… The US Government has become the “middleman” in a large scale multi-billion dollar child trafficking operation, run by bad actors seeking to profit off the lives of children.

EyeonJacksonville reports more on the inspiring story of protecting our nation’s children:

At the age of 16, Christina was placed into foster care, and the state’s attorney in Saint Augustine called her to their office to verify a “confession” letter they had received. After verifying that Christina was raped for years from the ages of 9-13, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) sent her to a gynecologist for examination. This was her very first time seeing an OBGYN, and it was a traumatic experience for her. A few years later, Christina received a letter from the Saint Augustine courthouse letting her know that her perpetrator would be released from county jail. After reading her police/court documents, she was extremely shocked to find that her perpetrator only received 364 days in county jail, despite her carrying the debilitating pain of her abuse with her every day.

Christina could not understand how her perpetrator was allowed to get a slap on the wrist for the impact his crimes had on her life. She decided then that she would fight for other child rape victims and change how our nation handles the heinous atrocity that is childhood rape. Christina created “Christina’s Law” years ago and has been sharing it with federal and state legislators, non-profit organizations, law enforcement agencies, and child welfare agencies.

Christina’s life’s work involves seeking the death penalty for raping a child under the age of 12, which she believes is a fair consequence to the most cruel and unusual punishment known to a child.

Christina decided to run for Florida State House and campaigned on this issue during the last election cycle. She promised to put Christina’s Law on the floor along with three other specific bills to ensure that foster youth have the tools they need to heal. Despite losing the election, Christina continues to work every day for children and their futures.

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