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Shortly after the publication of this seminal paper, the Children’s Bureau of the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect drafted a model statute that would require physicians to report suspected cases of child abuse. The proposed statute defined the conditions that would necessitate reporting, specified who was required to report, granted immunity for reports filed in good faith, and detailed the procedures of reporting. By 1967, every state and the District of Columbia had passed statutes mandating reporting of child abuse by health-care professionals. Since 1967, many states have broadened their definitions of abuse and have required additional professionals to report suspected cases. Although the adoption of mandatory child abuse reporting laws occurred rapidly throughout the country, the medical profession did not initially welcome these laws.19 Now, over 40 years later, parallels can be seen between the past struggle for adoption of mandatory reporting of child abuse in human medicine and the current issue of mandatory reporting of animal abuse in veterinary medicine. Mandatory Reporting of Animal Abuse Currently, eight states in the United States have adopted laws requiring veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. In addition, a number of states encourage (Maryland), allow (Maine and Oregon), or require (Wisconsin) reporting in cases of suspected animal fighting. Other states require reporting only if the veterinarian has direct knowledge of the cruel treatment (Kansas) or if the veterinarian witnesses repeated acts of cruelty by a professional colleague (Pennsylvania). Separate from mandatory reporting, more than half the states in the United States provide some form of immunity to veterinarians who file reports of suspected animal abuse in good faith.20 The AVMA holds that, as members of a health-care profession, veterinarians should take responsibility for reporting acts of cruelty, just as their colleagues in the fields of human health, nursing, and education do.8 The AVMA does not advocate for the adoption of mandatory reporting laws but includes immunity for veterinarians reporting suspected abuse in their Model Veterinary Practice Act. Furthermore, the AVMA updated its animal welfare policy statement regarding the veterinarian’s role in animal cruelty cases in November 2009, stating the following: The AVMA recognizes that veterinarians may observe cases of animal abuse or neglect as defined by federal or state laws or local ordinances.

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