BishopAccountability.org
	D.A. Promotes Sex-Abuse Bill Abraham Seeks " Window" on Statute of Limitations By David O'Reilly Philadelphia Inquirer October 14, 2006 http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/15756036.htm Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham yesterday urged the General Assembly to pass a comprehensive sex-abuse protection bill now before the House, saying it is not targeted at the Catholic Church. "The problem in Harrisburg is that powerful lobbies want to make it look like this is a plan or a program against one institution," Abraham told a conference at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. "But this is about children." Abraham was followed by a half-dozen other local and national advocates for sex-abuse legislative reform, all of whom called on the Assembly to act before the current legislative session expires next month. Billed as a "forum on child-abuse legislation," the event was sponsored by the state District Attorney's Association, the state chapter of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the local chapter of the lay Catholic reform movement Voice of the Faithful, and by the new Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse. Abraham and several other speakers chided lawmakers for failing to create a one-time, one-year "window" on the statute of limitations that would allow adult abuse-victims to sue their molesters for abuse, no matter how long ago it occurred. But most focused on Senate Bill 1054, which appears to stand the best chance of passage this year. The bill would: Allow adult victims of child sex abuse to bring criminal charges against their abusers by age 50. Current law cuts off at age 30. Make certain employers and supervisors of abusers criminally liable if they facilitate abuse or fail to provide adequate protection for children in their care. Expand the definition of who must report knowledge of sex abuse to authorities. Current law obliges certain employers and supervisors to report abuse only if the child informs them. Require extensive criminal background checks for persons with a "significant likelihood of substantial contact" with minors. HB1054 passed in the Senate in June and is expected to go before the full House on Oct. 23. Many of the items were part of a legislative proposal included in a 2005 Philadelphia grand jury report on child sex abuse and coverup in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, has said the archdiocese endorses most of the goals of the proposed legislation, although not the window on the civil statute of limitations. Amy Beisel, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, a lobby representing the state's 10 Roman Catholic dioceses, said yesterday the conference "does not have a position" on HB1054. Asked why the conference was not lending support, Beisel replied, "I can't really explain it." She acknowledged that the conference's stance exposed the church to criticism. Several lawmakers, legislative aides and child advocates have said they are baffled by the church leadership's refusal to endorse legislation or explain its stance. In Colorado, Ohio and Maryland, bishops' conferences have fiercely opposed statute windows, saying the lawsuits would cost dioceses millions of dollars and compromise their capacity to operate. But several speakers at yesterday's conference challenged the church's contention that a statute window would bankrupt dioceses. John Salveson, the former head of Philadelphia SNAP and president of the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse, called the bankruptcy threat "specious and idiotic." He said insurance and the sale of unneeded church real estate would cover most of the cost of settling lawsuits, and alleged that hierarchy's greatest fear was that civil suits would expose secrets. His foundation last week hired the Harrisburg firm of Wolf Block Government Relations to lobby for the statute window and other related legislation. In August, two former Philadelphia prosecutors who played leading roles in the grand jury investigation wrote a public letter to Rigali, saying the Catholic Conference's failure to endorse any proposed legislation appeared to be an effort to subvert it. "It seems as if there are adequate protections" for children in the current statute, Maureen McCartney, one of those former prosecutors and now a Temple law professor, told yesterday's conference. "But what [past] lawmakers never seemed to envision was that individuals in an institution might someday try to cover up sex crimes and enable... further access to children." Contact staff writer David O'Reilly at 215-854-5723 or doreilly@phillynews.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.