Mandatory Reporting Law

The mandatory reporting law is a great law that is in need of major revisions.

The role of the doctor has been clear and distinct in my life. I have always looked at my doctor as a person who assists me with health issues. But somewhere down the line, the role of the doctor has changed. Doctors are taking on the decision making of the patient. In a recent bill that was passed, practitioners are required to report any physical injury that is due to firearm, assault, or abusive conduct. This law is called, “The Mandatory Reporting Law”, in which it aids victims of domestic violence. However the word “aid” has speculated through many people in examining this law. Mandatory Reporting has become a big controversial topic, in which people
I agree with Beverly Upton, that there should be a change in language. The law is a good attempt to cracking down on domestic violence, but it leaves out the importance of the situation; which is to protect the victim. Mandatory Reporting should not be a tool to capture batterers, but a tool to assist and support victims. Jackie Speier must have kept in mind the safety of the victim. In writing a law, one must take into consideration all of the possibilities that may occur. The law benefits the victims that want to escape from their batterer, but it does not assist victims who are still in denial about their abuse. Many victims have trouble realizing that they are in a bad situation. Victims might feel that their abuse is caused by their behavior, or some might be victims of abuse for years in which they see nothing wrong with it. Before a judgment is called about a victim’s situation, there must be a full analysis of their circumstances. One must have a good insight on her life, before making judgment. There are too many risks that can take into place, if the right choice for the victim is not made. Mandatory Reporting becomes a controversial topic because there is a conflict with the purpose of the situation; some people believe that the end to domestic violence is capturing the batterer, as the opposing view would believe that the end to domestic violence is to remove the victim out of the situation in the best interest of the victim. The key to eliminating domestic violence is taking into consideration that everyone’s situation is different. There might be a need to call the police and have a batterer arrested in some situations in which the victim feels that he/she has had enough. In other cases the victim might not want to leave, in which counseling would be implemented to get him/her in the mind frame to leave their situation. Domestic violence is a sticky subject, in