NEW YORK
Staten Island Advance
By Daniel Leddy | For the Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As the current legislative session in Albany winds down, efforts are intensifying to pass legislation that would either extend or eliminate the statute of limitations for both civil and criminal cases involving the sexual abuse of children.
The issues are complex, however, and not resolvable according to whether legislators are “with the kids or with the predators,” as a Manhattan tabloid has been screaming virtually every day.
Few would dispute that those sexually abused as children deserve to be compensated for having endured such ordeals, some so horrific that they entail catastrophic, lifelong consequences.
At the same time, charges of sexual abuse are easily made and sometimes false, particularly when traceable to the machinations of warring parents engaged in custody and visitation disputes. This, and the ever-present possibility of false accusations generally, underscores the need to provide accused individuals with a fair chance to defend themselves against allegations so heinous that they ruin reputations, decimate finances, and put people behind bars.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.