Lawmaker Gives Emotional Account of Being Molested by Her Pastor When She Was 10, before Assembly Passes Child Victim Bill
By Kenneth Lovett
The Assembly on Wednesday gave long-awaited passage to a bill to make it easier for child sex abuse survivors to seek justice — but not before a lawmaker emotionally recounted how as a 10-year-old she was molested by her pastor. Assemblywoman Rodneyese Bichotte (D-Brooklyn) during the two-hour debate talked about being bedridden and home-schooled after a horrific car accident. She said her religious mother arranged a large prayer group that eventually dwindled down to one — her pastor — as she recovered. That’s when things turned “sinful,” she said. The pastor began to touch and kiss her in different parts of her house, including the living room and near the garage. It was 34 years ago, but Bichotte said “that is an experience that I will never forget.” She said she could not tell her parents and felt alone. “Not only was I embarrassed but I was afraid to be blamed, so I kept it to myself,” Bichotte said. “As I spoke to some of my peers who were my age, I realized I wasn’t alone. They, too, were being molested and they, too, were silent. Whether it was a father, an uncle, a friend, or a clergy person, we were all in this together.” It was the first time Bichotte spoke of her experience on the floor of the Assembly. She said she voted for passage of the Child Victims Act on Wednesday even though she wished it went further. She’d like to do away with the criminal statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases. The bill that passed by an overwhelming 129-7 margin allows victims to bring civil lawsuits until their 50th birthday and criminal cases until their 28th birthday. It opens a one-year window to revive old cases and treats private and public institutions the same when it comes to sex abuse cases. It’s the fifth time the Assembly passed a version of the Child Victims Act, but the first since 2008. It now goes to the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle. “The lopsided vote is very heartening,” said Assembly bill sponsor Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan). “If the Republicans in the Assembly can vote for it, so can the Republicans in the Senate.” Senate bill sponsor Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) said he hopes the Assembly passage creates momentum for the Senate to act before the scheduled June 21 end of the legislative session. But Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein is introducing his own version that instead of having a one-year window to revive old cases would create a commission to determine whether such cases have merit to move forward. Many advocates rejoiced that the Assembly acted and want the Senate Republicans, who have blocked the issue for years, to follow suit or at least come to the negotiating table.
“Time is running out - I call on the New York State Senate and Gov. Cuomo to join in efforts to enact the CVA before the end of session," said survivor Bridie Farrell. Some others, like survivor Gary Greenberg, are pushing for passage of Klein’s bill, saying it’s the only one that has a chance of passing the Senate. “The Republicans have made it clear they won’t vote a (one-year window to revive old cases),” he said. Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif said “there are a number of Child Victim Act bills and we’re reviewing the issue.” During the emotional two-hour Assembly debate, some Republicans took exception with extending the civil and criminal statute of limitations on sex abuse cases, saying it makes it harder for the accused predators to defend themselves and leaves institutions on the hook for potential big-buck settlements. They argued over time memories fade, evidence is lost or destroyed, and witnesses die, become unavailable, or become less reliable. Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) repeatedly kept dismissing the concerns by arguing that “we are talking about heinous acts committed against children.” At one point, Assemblyman Raymond Walter (R-Erie County) shot back that “I understand we are talking about children. You don’t have to keep repeating it.” While he expressed concerns about the bill, Walter ended up voting for it. Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Queens), who is an observant Jew, said “I grew up in a time and a community that has grappled long and hard with this issue.” He said he has friends and family who have been impacted by child sex abuse and knows people who had knives and scissors held to their throats “because they dared to challenge a child molester.” But Simanowitz was torn over the bill over questions about why it didn’t do away entirely with the criminal statute of limitation. He also doesn’t like that it opens a one-year window to allow some who are currently are time-barred to bring civil cases, but not criminal ones. Court rulings have found the latter would be unconstitutional. Child sex abuse victim Ana Wagner called passage of the bill “a tremendous day for survivors of childhood sex abuse.” Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the state Catholic Conference headed by Timothy Cardinal Dolan said only that the organizations continues to oppose legislation that allows for old cases to be revived.
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