Monday, June 21, 2010

Proposed Law Named After Greensburg Woman

Proposed legislation would make it illegal to witness a violent crime and not report it. Jennifer’s Law is named for Jennifer Daugherty, a 30-year old developmentally disabled Greensburg woman. This past winter, she was severely tortured for days before being killed by three men and three women.

State Senator Kim Ward of Westmoreland County is proposing the bill. "I would think of Jennifer’s Law almost as a human law, you know a humanity law. If you see someone being harmed in a violent way- call for help. That’s all it says," she said.

Ward says eleven other states have similar legislation. And in Pennsylvania similar laws exist - just not in the same realm. There are Good Samaritan laws that bind medical personnel to render care if its necessary, laws that implicate someone who accompanies or assists a bank robber and laws against harboring a fugitive.

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