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	Abuse Victims Rally for Bill to Do with Priests By Ed Stannard New Haven Register April 22, 2010 http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/04/22/news/aa1_hartford_sex_statute042210.txt Victims of sexual abuse by priests passed out leaflets Wednesday seeking support for a bill that would erase time limits for bringing lawsuits, while the Roman Catholic Church in Connecticut claims that it is being unfairly targeted. The bill removes the statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims against private organizations, lifting the previous cap of 30 years beyond the age of majority, or until a victim turns 48. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sponsored the rally at which victims handed out leaflets to worshipers leaving the Cathedral of St. Joseph after Mass. Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP's outreach director, said more than 30 people participated. "It's very healing for survivors to come out and do something positive and so something to protect kids," Dorris said. She said children will be protected if long-ago victims can bring their abusers into the public eye. Many of those passing out leaflets were patients of the late Dr. George Reardon, who worked at St. Francis Hospital. More than 100 alleged victims have sued the hospital charging abuse by Reardon. But Michael Culhane, spokesman for the Connecticut Catholic Conference, said the bill is an attack on the church because it does not permit lawsuits against school boards or governments, which are protected by sovereign immunity. "When you look at it, there's not a level playing field. It simply is not fair," Culhane said. The bishops of the state's three Catholic dioceses have written a letter passed out in church bulletins warning of "potentially disastrous fallout" that lifting the statute of limitations could bring. "Over the past several years in states that have even temporarily eliminated the statutes, it has caused the bankruptcy of at least seven dioceses," the letter stated. Dorris said, however, that the dioceses have filed for bankruptcy protection but haven't closed down, and that the bill is not directed at the church but "works to protect anyone who was harmed." "They're putting out information like they're the one being targeted and it's not true," she said. Culhane said Connecticut's bill is unique because it's retroactive. "It changes the rules of the game in the fourth or fifth inning and that's not fair," he said. State Rep. Gary A. Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, a co-sponsor of the bill, said he told church leaders at the Judiciary Committee's public hearing that their concern was for the institution, but not enough for the victims of sexual predators. "For these individuals, it's not a matter of whether you as a corporation exist or doesn't exist; it's about the victims," said Holder-Winfield, who revealed at the hearing that he was a victim of sexual abuse. "There are more victims of this who feel this is a way they can be heard and they can get some justice." He said the bill has been amended so those who were victimized more than 30 years ago "have to have documentary evidence and it has to be an ongoing case." It also allows a claim against a state employee to be brought to the claims commissioner, but Culhane called that concession weak. Holder-Winfield said it is not certain that the bill will come up for a vote. This year's assembly term is a short session that is primarily concerned with budget issues. "I think that they're taking a serious look at the bill. I know there are a lot of people who don't want to vote on the bill. I think if the bill hit the floor it would pass."
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