Dearest Children: The Christine Blubaugh Law
Mary Ann TaylorTwo Score and Two Years Later
On Valentine’s Day 2022, South Grand Prairie High School commemorated the passing of Texas SB 9 in memory of Christine Blubaugh. Other memorials to her exist. Two, however, are Texas laws. What happened along the way is history. Who made it happen over the past 20 years since her daughter’s death is a mother named Debra.
Christine was a beautiful, smart, dedicated, talented girl. She played tennis, soccer, and basketball on the school teams, worked at McDonald’s, played the violin, participated in Girl Scouts, and enjoyed her church youth activities. She had a particularly sweet spirit about her— and a tender heart. Her identical twin, Dawn, was a special part of her life.
On March 25, 2000, Christine was at home with no particular plans for the evening when an ex-boyfriend (he will not be named here) appeared at the family’s door. He had always been polite and respectful, sometimes coming for dinner or working on school assignments. When Christine asked if they could go out for a movie, Debra gave her permission only after Christine promised to be home by midnight—it was Saturday and they had church the next morning.
Nothing seemed unusual until Christine didn’t come home at her curfew. Debra called neighboring hospitals and then the police. It just wasn’t something Christine would do. Debra went on to church that morning—she and her girls attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–but left early. That afternoon, Chief of Police Glen Hill knocked at her door along with the department chaplain and a detective. A personal friend and fellow church member, Hill delivered the terrible news: Christine had been murdered. The boy had committed suicide nearby.
A funeral, outpourings of shock and grief, revelations that the “boy” was a 20-year-old but still a student—the events that followed reflected the tragic loss of Christine in what seemed like an episode of senseless violence. Debra had a special older friend, Peggy Williams, who was by her side that Sunday and many following days. Her church leaders–Eddie Gwynn, his wife Christine, and Bill Rossi—stood by her.
The other family had a funeral as well, but they mistakenly took their son’s act as a Romeo and Juliet scenario. With that in mind, they chose a plot in Old Southland Cemetery near Christine’s. Debra had to walk by it every time she visited her child’s grave. The cemetery owners had no recourse, so she went all the way to the Texas legislature to address the situation. The resulting amendment to the health code, SB 314 passed in 2001, prohibits the burial of a homicide perpetrator in the same cemetery as the homicide victim.
Time passed, and some of Christine’s friends began telling Debra things they knew, things they hadn’t shared. This boy had abused Christine, physically and mentally, throughout their relationship. This was difficult to hear on many levels: Why hadn’t Christine confided in her mother or another adult, or even her twin? Were there no signs of the abuse, any red flags? All these questions weighed on Debra for years. She’d had many opportunities to share the story initially, including an appearance on Montel Williams. But this added a new perspective. Debra wondered what she could do to help other teens who needed to know that dating violence was not normal, that help was available.
Assistant Chief of Police Ronnie Morris, a rookie in 2000, never forgot the scene of the tragedy. Once he had his own children—daughters—he worked to pursue a way to share information about teen dating violence. With Debra’s help, he crafted a bill that requires Texas schools to educate teens about dating and domestic violence. Senator Royce West, D-Dallas, agreed to sponsor the bill. The path to enactment was unusual because the bill passed out of committee unanimously and then passed the legislature unanimously. Virtually unheard of these days, that strong support met an unexpected barrier when the governor vetoed the bill. More work was done to find out why: The bill didn’t contain specific language allowing parents to have their children opt-out. Perhaps miraculously (and with personal intervention from Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen), Christine’s Bill, Texas SB 9, was included in the special session the governor called for another purpose, passed again, and signed into law in December 2021. The new curriculum will be part of health education for middle and high school students.
The hope of a new beginning characterized the messages at the Valentine’s Day event. “Starting today, teenagers will be armed with an education, with the tools they need to protect themselves against abuse by recognizing the warning signs of an abusive relationship and the resources to escape,” said Chief Morris. “Christine Blubaugh is no longer remembered as the girl who was murdered. She will now be remembered as the girl who lived a life of significance and one whose death has saved the lives of other kids,” he added. Dawn Blubaugh Inoncencio, now a mother herself, commented after the event: “I’m hoping (this law) lets them know that they have a support system and that there are people they can talk to.”
The next step? Supporters of this initiative want to carry it to a national audience, much like AMBER alerts which also began in Texas. That will mean more work, but Christine’s mom is up to the task.
Debra Blubaugh has said, “It’s my faith that has kept me going all this time. It was a lot of work, and I had so many that helped. But it was my faith.” Steve Altman, a friend of Debra’s, wrote a song for his mother called “Heaven Sent,” and Debra believes it captures her feelings perfectly. It begins, “She was born as the angels sang…”
Teen dating violence is not new (President Obama issued this proclamation in 2013), nor is it rare. One in three girls experiences it in some form. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Texas, and a hotline is available. A Latter-day Saint hymn begins “Dearest Children, God is near you.” It does not—and could not—promise that dangers don’t exist in this world. Education and awareness are powerful tools, however; the teens of Texas now have a new one.
Watch the Christine Blubaugh Law Commemoration Ceremony HERE.
If you know of a teen or parent that could benefit from speaking to a caring, well-trained peer advocate, please connect them with the National Dating Abuse Helpline, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, at 1-866-331-9474 (TTY: 1-866-331-8453), by texting “loveis” to 77054, or through live chat at loveisrespect.org.
For more information, please visit the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Women.
Featured Photo: Sen. Royce West, Dawn Blubaugh Inoncencio, Debra Blubaugh, and Assistant Chief of Police Ronnie Morris. Photo by Christine Gwynn.
Mary Ann Taylor is communications director for the Dallas Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Duncanville.
