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Gehrke: What if Utah legislators cared about the safety of victims of sexual violence as much as their own?

Who is more justified in having their home address protected? A victim of abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, stalking or sexual assault? Or a state lawmaker seeking re-election?

Last week, Rep. Stephanie Pitcher, D-Ogden, who works in a county prosecutor’s office, proposed HB451, which would have created a state program to give those victims of violent crimes — overwhelmingly women — a proxy address, (like a P.O. Box) that she or he could use to receive mail or conduct most state business.

It’s really a no-brainer. Someone who is being stalked doesn’t necessarily want to have that home address out in the public domain.