PENNSYLVANIA
The Times Herald
By Last in a series, By Kathleen E. Carey, kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com, @dtbusiness
As the rigorous debate continues in Pennsylvania surrounding the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, other states across the country have likewise attempted to tackle the issue.
And while the outcomes have varied, some see similarities to events here.
In Pennsylvania, legislators have been mulling House Bill 1947, a measure extending or eliminating the criminal and civil statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse. It passed overwhelmingly in the House in April. The state Senate amended it, sending it back to the House for consideration. The Senate removed the provision that would allow adult survivors who are not yet 50 years old to pursue legal recourse against their abusers in decades-old cases.
Changing the statute of limitations is vigorously opposed by the Catholic Church, with Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput contending it would have a disastrous fiscal toll on the archdiocese.
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