BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
January 27, 2019
The Catholic Church’s bishops in New York State made the right decision to change course and back passage of the Child Victims Act.
The Senate and Assembly are expected to approve the legislation on Monday that will expand the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims and open a one-year “look-back” period for victims of any age to bring lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse.
The state Catholic Conference stated its support after legislators agreed to wording that ensures the bill applies to victims of alleged abuse from public schools as well as religious and private schools. That prompts the question: Why weren’t public schools included all along?
The church opposed previous versions of the bill, which were held up by the former Republican majority in the Senate. The church objected to being singled out for legal responsibility for incidents of child sexual abuse that have also taken place in other public and private institutions.
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