Evangelidis Co-Sponsors Legislation to Provide Greater Protection to Minors
Legislation Needed to Close Apparent Loophole
Submitted by State Representative Lew Evangelidis
February 10, 2010
BOSTON— State Representative Lew Evangelidis (R-1st Worcester District) is co-sponsoring legislation that would provide greater protection to minors. An Act to Prohibit the Electronic Transmission of Harmful Material to Minors was drafted in response to the Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling last Friday. The SJC ruled in favor of a child predator who had been sending sexually explicit content through online communications. The man who had attempted to lure an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl into sexual relations had his convictions thrown out Friday, February 5.
The legislation would expand the statute by prohibiting the dissemination of harmful material to a minor via instant messaging or other online communications.
Representative Evangelidis said he was particularly concerned that the state’s statute under which the defendant was convicted had not been updated to reflect society’s current electronic age.
After an examination of the statute and its legislative history, the Court stated that the Legislature must take action if it wanted to ensure that our children are protected from predators seeking to electronically disseminate obscene material to minors.
“As a father of two I know how worried parents are regarding the internet and all of the dangers that can emerge from behind the computer screen. The court has given the legislature clear direction to resolve this loophole. When it comes to the protection of our children there is no excuse not to take swift action to close loopholes exposed by sex offenders.” said Evangelidis, a former assistant district attorney and assistant state prosecutor.
The bill is already garnering bipartisan support as more than a dozen lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have already signed on to co-sponsor the bill.