Roman Catholic and orthodox Jewish officials in New York are undertaking a momentous lobbying effort to block a bill that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging the sexual abuse of children.
This is not the first time this bill has been proposed, but in recent years it was squashed by the Republican controlled State Senate. However, a new Democratic majority strongly supports the bill, and for the first time it looks like it will pass. If signed by Governor David A. Patterson, the Child Victims Act would revive hundreds of claims that were filed in recent years, but dismissed because they were made after the current time limit; five years after the accuser turns eighteen. The bill would create a one year window for people who were abused as children to file a claim, regardless of how long ago the allegations occurred. After a year the statute of limitations would be restored, but with a ten year window after the victim turns eighteen.
While the Catholic Church is leading the charge, a loose collation of religious groups has joined the fray; including leaders of the Hasidic and Sephardic Jewish institutions in Brooklyn, who could also face costly abuse claims. They claim that the bill singles out religious institutions, leaving public schools immune to the potential liability.
My view of this defense is that it is a crude smokescreen, trying to keep retribution from tormented victims that deserve it. They are latching on to the idea they are being singled out, when in reality the statute of limitations for public schools does not affect them. It doesn’t change the past. It does not erase what was done to innocent children. In the end those who are guilty of something so heinous are, and will always be guilty. Their victims deserve their day in court; regardless of whether or not the perpetrators feel “singled out”.