OHIO
Canton Repository
Saturday, January 21, 2006
BY CHARITA M. GOSHAY REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
Last week, Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, sent shock waves through the statehouse in Columbus, when he revealed to a House Judiciary Committee that he had been a victim of a sexual abuse at the hands of a priest 60 years ago.
Gumbleton spoke to the committee on the issue of Senate Bill 17. As written, the law would:
n Extend the statute of limitations, during which victims could file civil charges against sexual abusers, from two years to 20 years.
n Adds clergy to those professionals required by law to report incidents of child abuse.
n Upgrades the charge for failing to report such crimes from a misdemeanor to a felony.
n Creates a “look-back” period for abuse victims who have not filed civil charges, for incidents going back as far back as 35 years, from the date the bill becomes law.