PRINTER'S NO. 3657
No. 732 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY MURT, ARGALL, BEYER, BISHOP, CALTAGIRONE,
CREIGHTON, DENLINGER, DePASQUALE, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI,
EVERETT, FLECK, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE,
GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART,
HELM, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, JAMES, KILLION,
KOTIK, KULA, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ, MARSHALL, MARSICO,
MELIO, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MILNE, MOUL, MUSTIO, MYERS,
PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, QUINN, RAMALEY, READSHAW,
REICHLEY, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SHIMKUS,
SONNEY, SWANGER, TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATSON, J. WHITE,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND MENSCH, MAY 2, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 2, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of April 2008 as "Teen Dating Violence
2 Awareness and Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The February 2005/March 2006 Teen Dating Abuse
4 Survey conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited and commissioned
5 by Liz Claiborne, Inc., had the following findings:
6 (1) One in three female teens in a dating relationship
7 has feared for her physical safety.
8 (2) Nearly one in five teens in a serious relationship
9 has said their boyfriend or girlfriend would threaten to hurt
10 themselves or their partner if there was a breakup.
11 (3) One in five teens in a serious relationship reports
12 having been hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.
13 (4) More than one in four teens have been in a
1 relationship where their partner verbally abused them.
2 (5) Thirteen percent of Hispanic teens have reported
3 that hitting their partner was permissible;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, The December 1995 Kaiser Permanente Poll, Children
6 Now, found that 29% of girls in a relationship have said they
7 have been pressured to engage in sexual activity they did not
8 want; and
9 WHEREAS, An August 2006 report of the American Public Health
10 Association (Interpersonal Violence in the Lives of Urban
11 American Indian and Alaska Native Women: Implications for
12 Health, Mental Health, and Help-Seeking) found that Native-
13 American women experience higher rates of interpersonal violence
14 than any other population group; and
15 WHEREAS, A 2001 article in the Journal of the American
16 Medical Association (Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls
17 and Associated Substance Abuse, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual
18 Risk Behavior, Pregnancy and Suicidality) reported that violent
19 relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications for
20 victims, who are at higher risk for substance abuse, eating
21 disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide and adult
22 revictimization; and
23 WHEREAS, Researchers S.L. Feld and M.A. Strauss (Criminology
24 1989) held that the severity of violence among intimate partners
25 has been shown to increase if the pattern has been established
26 in adolescence; and
27 WHEREAS, A June/July 2004 article in Women's Health (Family
28 Violence Prevention Fund & Advocates for Youth) reported that
29 81% of parents surveyed believe dating violence is not an issue
30 or admit they do not know if it is an issue; and
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1 WHEREAS, Recognizing "Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
2 Prevention Month" benefits schools, communities and families;
3 therefore be it
4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
5 month of April 2008 as "Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
6 Prevention Month" to raise awareness of teen dating violence in
7 this Commonwealth.
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