GOP Lawmaker Will Face No Punishment For ‘Rehoming’ Adopted 6 Year Old Who Was Later Raped

A Republican state lawmaker who handed his adopted girl over to a man who later raped her will face no punishment under the law or from the state legislature.

Arkansas State Representative Justin Harris has been the subject of intense media scrutiny after news broke this week that he had “re-homed” his two young adopted girls to a man who later raped one of them. Re-homing is a term used when adoptive parents want to get rid of their adopted children and do not want to go through official channels, but rather, they hand them over to another party. Harris is a conservative Republican who owns a Christian preschool and votes in favor of state money being used to fund religious schools. 

Rep. Harris has refused to talk to the media since the Arkansas Times published an extensive report breaking the news that Harris had re-homed the girls. Until now. 

Speaking to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Harris for the first time today explained why he and his wife chose to re-home the two girls, sisters aged three and six.

“When our adoption became final, we went to the court, the whole family, exchanged teddy bears and everything — and it was like a light bulb suddenly flipped on for the girls,” Harris said. “They knew, suddenly knew, that this was their forever home, and they were no longer ever going back to Mom’s house,” he added. “There was anger and an instant behavior change.”

UPDATE: Lawmaker Who Rehomed Daughter Who Was Later Raped: I ‘Have Suffered A Severe Injustice’

Harris “said he sought help for the girls and took them to counseling, but their behavior did not improve,” the Democrat-Gazette reports. 

The two sisters have been adopted by another family, and the man who raped the 6-year old pleaded guilty and was given a 40-year sentence.

Rep. Harris will not be facing any punishment. It is not illegal in Arkansas to re-home an adopted child, although Harris’ Democratic colleagues this week drafted a bill to make rehoming illegal.

Arkansas House Democratic Minority Leader Eddie Armstrong says it’s “a tough one” and “too early to call” whether or not Rep. Harris should continue as a state lawmaker. “But we’re focused on fixing the actual problem,” he noted.

House Republican Majority Leader Ken Bragg would only say that Harris is “a dedicated Christian,” and “a family man with the highest integrity who cares deeply for the welfare of children.”

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that House Republican Speaker Jeremy Gillam “said there would be no sanctions or repercussions from the legislative body in this case.”

“At this time, that situation, as far as we’re concerned from the House perspective, is past tense, and we’re moving forward and looking at the remainder of our calendar and finishing the month strong,” Gillam said.

 

Image: Screenshot via YouTube