The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Feb. 5 held a hearing on a bill that would ban the use of the so-called panic defense in the state.
Senate Bill 46, sponsored by state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Baltimore and Howard Counties), would ban a defendant’s use of a victim’s race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation as an excuse for violence committed against them. “This bill will insure that the defense cannot be used to mitigate murder to manslaughter, for example, and is not a defense to assault in any way,” Lam told the committee.
He added that the continued use of this defense fuels stereotypes, hate crimes and violence against LGBTQ people and other affected communities by blaming the victims