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Pasado's Story
Pasado Newsletter
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Governor Signs Third Pasado's Safe Haven
Bill into Law...In Three Years!
A National Record!
Above from left, Rita Morgan, Pasado's National Coordinator, Susan
Michaels and Mark Steinway, Pasado's Safe Haven's Co-Founders, Governor
Christine Gregoire, and Senator Pam Roach (Sponsor) at the signing ceremonies at the
Washington State Capitol for SSB 6417.
Our deepest
thanks go to Dan Satterberg, Chief of Staff, King County Prosecuting Attorney's
Office, and Dr. Dana Bridges, DVM who testified before every hearing to
support this bill. They did so, as well, for the two previous bills we
passed in 2004 and 2005.
And to
Rita Morgan, above, a long-time volunteer who joined Pasado's as
our National Coordinator of Legislative and Cruelty Issues. Rita worked
for seven years in Microsoft's legal department. Every Tuesday night, no
matter what the weather, she hopped in her Prius and drove over an hour
to put all of Pasado's animals to bed. As a "sanctuary caretaker" she
fed them, rustled up the chickens, pigs, cows, goats, and dozens of
other animals and made sure they were inside and safe for the night.
Even when it snowed and became dark at 4:30 in the afternoon in the
winter, she never failed to appear. Head-lamp strapped to her head,
ready to go.
Although
Rita is now on staff, she still changes into her "muck boots" and old
jeans and heads out on to the farm on Tuesday evenings. She represents
the very best humans can offer animals - passion, coupled with smarts.
They, and we, are so lucky to know her. |
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History of bill:
Success! Last
night, March 1, 2006, Washington State Senate Bill 6417, the
anti-bestiality bill, passed the House of Representatives 98-0!
This means that Washington State is now
one of the 28 states that has an
anti-bestiality bill on its books.
We will no longer be
considered a haven for those who engage in this repugnant activity.
If they get caught, they can now be charged with a Class C, ranked 3
felony, one of the,
if not the, strongest statues in the country.
Although there was wide support for this bill, getting the attention of
our
state elected representatives was quite difficult in this short session
(only 60 days long).
It would have been impossible to get them to pass this bill out of the
committees and to the
floor for a vote if it weren’t for our supporters who called, emailed
and wrote letters of
support each time we ran into trouble. This bill was close to death on
more than one occasion.
It’s a fine example of what a small but passionate and focused group of
people can accomplish. We’re a great team!!
They and you make this world a better place, for the animals, for all of
us! Thank you!
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History
of the case that led to the law...
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Last July 14th, a man allegedly died from
injuries sustained during sexual relations with a horse. It is further
alleged that this took place on a farm (see above photo) that was well-known for arranging bestiality
(sex with animals) liaisons. He was a visitor at the farm.
Although this was abhorrent in itself, we found that bestiality, also
known as zoophilia, is NOT illegal in the State of Washington nor in 30
some other states. We simply couldn't believe it. |
It was further learned that the location where the incident took place
was well-known on the internet. The owners operated a “farm” where dogs
and farm animals were used in the making of bestiality videos for sale
on the internet. This farm, according to the sheriff, was well-known to
sexual deviants via the internet. The farm came to light, after years of
operation, only because the above customer died from injuries sustained
during intercourse with a horse. (He had been rushed to the hospital and
"dropped off" by another patron. When the patient died from a perforated
colon, hospital videos showed the other man's license plate on the car
that sped away from the emergency room. The man was found and admitted
to what had happened.) Read The Seattle Times account of what
happened
here.The Prosecuting
Attorney was unable to bring charges against the men involved in the
above case because, as we were startled to learn, it is not against the
law to practice this form of behavior in Washington State or 16 other
states despite what is known about this form of sexual deviancy:
• Zoophilia is a recognized sexual pathology by the psychiatric
community
• It is a common precursor (or joint sexual proclivity) with child
sexual abuse
• Zoophiles” fall in the same recognized Psychiatric Sexual Disorder
genre’ as pedophiles, necrophiles (corpses), asphixiaphiles
(suffocation), etc.
• Their predilection begins at the same time (in puberty) and is treated
by the same psychiatric sexual predator treatment protocols
• In all cases, these people view their targets as ‘less significant’
than they.”
Last fall, Pasado’s Safe Haven approached Washington State Senator Pam
Roach (above with Pasado's Safe Haven's co-founder Susan Michaels) - her district is where this heinous act took place, to sponsor a
bill that would mirror legislation in
other
states outlawing bestiality. After working most of last fall with the
State Senate Judiciary staff and with agriculture representatives, we
formulated our final draft. The bill would
make the crime of zoophilia a Class 3 Felony under Animal Cruelty
Statutes.
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VICTORY FOR THE
ANIMALS!!!
Three animal cruelty bills passed in three
years!
HB
1304, the first law to
make starving, dehydrating, or suffocating an animal in Washington State
a felony was signed by Governor Gregoire in April 2005...
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In 2004 we passed a
non-ambulatory livestock law making it illegal to drag or lift by tractor
any livestock animal too sick or weak to walk on its own. (The bill was signed into law April, 2004.) The animal must
be humanely euthanized before being moved.
We are grateful, and proud, for two successful legislative
years to make this world just a tiny bit less cruel.
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Would you like to help
pass cruelty laws in your state? E-mail us
here.
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