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	Reilly Joins Rally to Extend Sex Abuse Law By Russell Nichols Boston Globe June 14, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/ 2006/06/14/reilly_joins_rally_to_extend_sex_abuse_law/ State legislators, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, and advocates for victims of sexual abuse rallied on Beacon Hill yesterday, urging lawmakers to advance a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations on sexual crimes against children. The bill's backers, worried that lawmakers won't act before their seion ends July 31, complained that defense attorneys on Beacon Hill have "stonewalled" the legislation. Many defense lawyers have opposed such measures, saying that the crimes become much harder to defend as time paes. "Vote before vacation, that's our meage," said Jetta Bernier , executive director of Maachusetts Citizens for Children. "We want Maachusetts to be a zero tolerance state when it comes to the sexual abuse of children." Reilly's participation was criticized by Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey's campaign, which pointed out that Reilly once expreed concerns about the bill. "Today, Attorney General Tom Reilly again reminded voters of his election-year habit of changing his positions on key iues," Healey's campaign said in a statement. The proposal gained momentum following the clergy sexual abuse scandal, in which hundreds of victims came forward in civil lawsuits. It has generated support in both branches and is awaiting a vote in the Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary, along with nearly 800 other proposals. Senator Robert Creedon , the committee's Senate chairman, expreed confidence the bill would make it out of committee. Advocates have argued that because of shame and intimidation, victims often take many years before reporting sexual crimes. Under current law, sexual crimes cannot be prosecuted if six, 10, or 15 years have elapsed, depending on the severity of the crime. Supporters rallied in front of the State House yesterday, with some residents holding black-and-white photographs of children who had been abused. Reilly, a Democratic candidate for governor, said abusers should not be protected by time limits of the law. "The clock should never stop the truth from coming out about what happened to a child," he said.
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