"State lawmakers are getting ready to move forward with proposals to expand the legal definition of child abuse in Pennsylvania in an effort to flag more incidents of suspected mistreatment....
"Too often, McCormack said, the state's definition of child abuse becomes the subject of parsing exercises by well-meaning institutions.
"Whether it be hospitals or schools or religious organizations, lawyers are looking at these definitions and saying, 'In this situation you have to report, in this situation you don't have to report,'" said McCormack. "And if it's a situation in which you don't have to report, there is encouragement not to report."
"It's not just prosecuting - it's identifying a child who's been harmed so they can be provided services - medical services, social services, mental health services where appropriate," said attorney Jason Kutulakis, a member of the Task Force on Child Protection...."
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