UTAH
Deseret News
By Marjorie Cortez, Deseret News
Published: Monday, Feb. 23 2015
SALT LAKE CITY — The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Monday to give a favorable recommendation to proposed legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations on civil actions related to child sexual abuse.
Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, sponsor of HB277, told committee members that child sexual abuse is “heinous. It’s murdering the spirit of the child.”
When a child is molested, society and the victims themselves pay the price in terms of health care costs, mental health treatment, lost wages and productivity.
“In this case, we make sure that cost is borne by the perpetrator,” he said.
Although Utah’s criminal statutes have been changed to acknowledge that many victims of child sexual abuse are not equipped to face their accusers until an average of 20 years later, Utah’s civil statute of limitations has lagged behind, Ivory said.
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