NEW YORK
NRP
August 24, 2016 – Heard on All Things Considered
BRIAN MANN
It’s important to say right up front that this isn’t a story about pedophile priests.
Bridie Farrell is Roman Catholic, but she says it was her speed skating coach who sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager.
“It happened at his house, in his car, in his hotel room,” Farrell says.
Farrell did what a lot of kids do when they’re molested: She kept silent. But 18 years later, when she was 31 years old, she went public with her story.
The problem is that there’s a ticking clock. In a lot of states, including New York, where Farrell was assaulted, if you don’t report a rape or file a civil lawsuit fast enough, the perpetrator – whether it’s a coach or relative or a priest – gets off scot-free.
But there is a growing effort in state houses across the country to make it easier to prosecute or sue people who sexually abuse children. Victims rights groups hope some old cases can be reopened, but they face opposition from Roman Catholic leaders, who say the changes could target them unfairly and could bankrupt church organizations.
‘It’s Broken’
New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat, pushed to extend the deadline for reporting sexual assaults against kids. He also wanted to open a one-year window, a kind of grace period, so that victims who’ve waited too long can get a second chance to sue in civil court.
“The statute of limitations for child sexual abuse is just too short,” Holyman says. “In a word, it’s broken.”
For Sexual Assault Victims, An Effort To Loosen Statutes Of Limitations
New York’s Catholic bishops spent more than $2 million lobbying to block Holyman’s effort.
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