This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A committee approved and sent to the Senate two bills Friday aimed at protecting children - one that would make viewing child pornography a crime, the other that would strengthen sentences for those who abuse children.
Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, is seeking in SB183 to make it a crime to view child pornography. Under existing law, an individual has to possess the images.
The idea is that the change in law would help in cases where the images have been erased from a computer or destroyed.
Unanimous committee approval of HB256, increasing some abuse penalties to 25 years to life, came after tearful testimony from Sharon Zahne, whose daughter was kidnapped, raped and beaten.
"She's doing better, but it never goes away. Never," she said. - Robert Gehrke
