BishopAccountability.org
	Lawmaker Pushes to End Statute of Limitations in Sex Abuse of Minors By Raphael Lewis Boston Globe [Massachusetts] August 4, 2005 Frustrated that the Legislature has yet to act in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, state Senator Steven A. Baddour and 10 Merrimac Valley residents launched an effort yesterday for a 2006 ballot referendum that would abolish the statute of limitations in criminal and civil cases involving sexual abuse of minors. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat, said the abuse allegations that rocked the Catholic Church in 2002 demonstrated that current laws, which limit the time victims have to file criminal charges and civil claims, often allow pedophiles to escape accountability. "They shouldn't be able to hide behind the statute of limitations," Baddour said. "In the Catholic Church scandal, they scared these kids for decades." State Representative Ronald Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, filed a similar bill in December 2003, but it went nowhere. It was filed again in December 2004 but has yet to get a hearing. For the measure to appear on the ballot, backers must gather roughly 66,000 signatures this fall. If the Legislature doesn't approve it by May 2006, supporters would have to gather about 11,000 additional signatures for it to appear on the ballot that November. Homicide is currently the only crime without a statute of limitations in Massachusetts. For most crimes, it is six years. Politicians on both sides of the aisle expressed support yesterday for eliminating the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases involving minors. Eric Fehrnstrom, communications director for Governor Mitt Romney, said the governor supports lifting the statute of limitations. Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, said such a move is warranted, even if it is largely symbolic. "I think the Catholic Church was an aberration in that it was a perfect storm of multiple victims and people being precluded from bringing cases," Coakley said. Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly refused to comment yesterday because his office has to certify the ballot initiative in the coming weeks. According to a 2003 report produced by his office, at least 237 priests and 13 other church employees were accused of molesting at least 789 minors in Massachusetts, going back six decades.