HARRISBURG (PA)
WGAL-TV, NBC-8 [Lancaster PA]
April 20, 2026
By Gabriel Thomas and AJ Sisson
Despite the findings nearly eight years ago, meaningful legislative change has yet to happen.
Survivors, advocates, and supporters from across Pennsylvania gathered at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, calling on lawmakers to pass long-awaited protections for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
“If they’re time-barred, then individuals don’t have an opportunity to seek justice, and then those individuals who have committed those crimes continue to go on without any accountability,” said Laquisha Anthony, executive director of WOAR, the Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence.
The rally also comes years after the landmark Pennsylvania grand jury report on Catholic Church sexual abuse, which exposed widespread abuse within the Catholic Church and detailed decades of institutional cover-ups.
Advocates say that despite the findings nearly eight years ago, meaningful legislative change has yet to happen.
“You also have to remember that there is a lot of money coming from powerful institutions, not just the Catholic Church,” said Mary McHale, a child sexual abuse survivor and advocate.
Organizers argue that outdated statute of limitations laws in Pennsylvania continue to block survivors from filing civil claims, allowing abusers and institutions to avoid accountability.
They are pushing for a civil “lookback window,” which would temporarily allow survivors with previously expired claims to seek justice in court.
“Trauma should never be yoked to a legal timetable,” said organizer Diana Hernandez Vojtasek, a survivor-advocate. “This rally is about truth, accountability, and making it impossible for lawmakers to keep looking away.”
Supporters say similar legislation has already passed in other states, and they argue Pennsylvania is falling behind.
“Choosing institutions over the little souls who were failed. That is not what the law is supposed to do,” said Sarah Klein, an attorney, advocate and survivor of child sexual abuse. “You have the power to change that. And history will remember exactly how you used it.”
They believe creating a path for survivors to come forward could not only deliver justice but also help uncover hidden abuse and prevent future harm.
The state House most recently passed the bill in June last year, but it has never been voted on in the Senate.