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I wanted to update you on domestic violence-related legislation I have been following for more than a year because the State Senate finally acted on it last week and sent it to the governor for his signature.
The bill (H.B. 1210) I voted for in July of 2023 and that Governor Shapiro signed into law yesterday will better protect pets and further protect survivors in domestic violence situations.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, data on domestic violence and child abuse cases reveal that a staggering number of animals are targeted by those who abuse their children or spouses. In one survey, 71% of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. Researchers have found links between coercive control and the abuse of pets, with abusers often using family pets as leverage in the torment of their victims, threatening to harm or kill them if their victims leave, and sometimes carrying out their threats.
Pennsylvania’s current Protection from Abuse Act gives judges the ability to order many kinds of relief to prevent further abuse but gives them no explicit authority to order protective measures of a victim’s pets. The new law will give judges the ability to order the defendant to refrain from possessing, abusing or harming the petitioner’s companion animal.
I know that many people in our community support efforts to combat animal abuse. I am so grateful the Senate understood the consequences of this issue and saw it through before the end of this legislative term.
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