Enough is Enough! Donna Rice Hughes needs to stop exploiting Predator Panic to push a personal agenda

Donna Rice Hughes's big claim to fame was getting caught in a sex scandal with Presidential candidate Gary Hart back in the 1980s, so I'm not surprised to see such an idiotic statement to promote internet censorship, something she's done since the mid-1990s.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/28/18116576/starbucks-public-wi-fi-porn-block

Starbucks says it’ll block porn on its public Wi-Fi next year

Following in the footsteps of McDonald’s
By Shannon Liao@Shannon_Liao  Nov 28, 2018, 3:28pm EST
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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For years, Starbucks has caught flak for not preventing its customers from watching porn on its in-store Wi-Fi. Now the coffee retailer says that next year it will introduce a filter that prevents customers from viewing porn and other explicit material in stores, as first reported by Business Insider.

Starbucks said to The Verge, “While it rarely occurs, the use of Starbucks public Wi-Fi to view illegal or egregious content is not, nor has it ever been permitted...We have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019.” While there aren’t details on what the content filter is, Starbucks did say it had tested multiple methods.

As spotted by BI, an internet safety organization called Enough Is Enough has been pressuring Starbucks and other franchises with in-store internet access to put up content filters for years. Back in 2016, McDonald’s, which was one of the franchises being pressured, began to block porn on its public Wi-Fi networks. This put the onus on Starbucks to do the same. At the time, Starbucks said it would implement filters if it found a content blocker that wouldn’t block unintended sites as well. It had yet to find one.

This week, Enough Is Enough CEO Donna Rice Hughes said Starbucks had failed to protect its customers and follow through with its plan to block explicit content. “By breaking its commitment, Starbucks is keeping the doors wide open for convicted sex offenders and others to fly under the radar from law enforcement and use free, public Wi-Fi services to access illegal child porn and hard-core pornography,” she said.

A petition from Enough Is Enough said that public Wi-Fi networks “are attracting pedophiles and sex offenders” and put children at risk.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza procliaims registered person has "given up his right" to be in his community

There are plenty of Shiitake-worthy people in this article, but I'll settle on Mayor Jorge Elorza, mayor of Providence RI, for the comments suggesting he gets to decide who lives in Providence and who does not.

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181017/providence-neighbors-protest-outside-child-rapist-home

Providence neighbors protest outside child rapist home

By
Madeleine List
Journal Staff Writer

Posted Oct 17, 2018 at 9:24 PM
Updated at 7:53 AM

Residents of the Washington Park neighborhood met Wednesday night to discuss the arrival of a new neighbor — a convicted child rapist recently released from prison in Massachusetts.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Washington Park Neighborhood Association meeting Wednesday night attracted hundreds of residents and ended with dozens of them protesting outside the home of a registered sex offender convicted of sexually assaulting children.

Outraged residents chanted, “We want him out!” and “Que se vaya!” and shone flashlights into the windows of 207 New York Ave., where the offender, Richard Gardner, moved in with his fiancée last week.

“We don’t feel safe in the neighborhood,” said Erlina Pichardo, speaking in Spanish. She lives in a house across the street from Gardner and has a 13-year-old son. “I’m scared.”

Gardner was convicted in 1989 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting three boys between the ages of 6 and 10 in the Warwick area. He was released last Thursday from a Massachusetts facility where he was serving time for a probation violation, and notified the Providence Police Department later that day that he was moving to New York Avenue.

Because Gardner was convicted before the passage of Megan’s Law, a 1996 law that requires sex offenders to register publicly and the community to be notified when they move into a neighborhood, he does not appear on the state’s list of sex offenders.

He is required to register with the police every time he moves, but that information is not made public, said Providence Officer Timothy Rudd, who manages the city’s sex offenders.

Ward 10 City Councilman Luis Aponte, though, said he found out that Gardner had moved into the neighborhood when he got an “unofficial heads up” from someone in the Police Department.

News spread fast, and the topic was added to the agenda of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association’s Wednesday meeting.

“It’s scary,” said Jennifer Ramirez, 29, who attended the meeting. “I have an 8-year-old son that’s always outside.”

Hundreds of people crowded into the Washington Park Community Center for the standing-room only meeting that often devolved into shouting and chaos.

Residents yelled when Rudd told them that Gardner declined to wear a GPS ankle bracelet, which he is not required by law to wear. “What about our rights!?” “This is bull----!”

Police told residents that Gardner, who is currently on probation, is not allowed to go within 300 feet of a school and that officers would check on his residence frequently and increase their patrols in the neighborhood. Beyond that, they said, there wasn’t much they could do.

“We’re going to be as vigilant as we possibly can be,” Rudd said.

But that didn’t satisfy residents.

“We don’t want him here!” they shouted.

Aponte tried to keep the peace.

"The Police Department did not put this guy here,” he said. “Us yelling at them is not going to change the circumstances.”

Mayor Jorge Elorza said he approved overtime for a police detail to monitor Gardner around the clock and make sure he doesn’t re-offend. Providence police Maj. David Lapatin said two officers will be stationed outside Gardner’s house, and will follow him each time he leaves, 24 hours a day, indefinitely.

“When I read about what this guy, what this predator, has done — it is absolutely heinous,” Elorza said. “He has given up his right to be here in the community.

“He does not belong in our city. He does not belong in our community,” he said. “I want every parent to know that we will not stop until this is absolutely addressed. I’ll say it one more time: He has no place in our community. Period.”

State lawmakers in attendance also pledged to introduce a bill, when the legislative session starts, to place more restrictions on where sex offenders can go, and to rewrite the law governing community notification.

But residents said they didn’t want to wait for laws to change, and were eager to take matters into their own hands.

Lisa Scorpio, a community activist, said she planned to get a group together to return to Gardner’s home every night to protest and implore him to leave.

“Cold, rain, whatever,” she said. “Six o’clock. Every night.”

(Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that Gardner is on parole. He’s on probation.)

— mlist@providencejournal.com

Wendy Murphy has already won 3 Shiitakes over the years, now she makes her case for a 4th

Ah, Wendy "I Never EVER Met a False Rape Claim" Murphy. She already has the distinction of being the all-time leader on the Shiitake Awards with THREE Shiitake Awards under her belt. That puts her ahead of Bobby Jindal, Mark Lunsford, Ron Book, and even Lauren Book. With this latest article regarding Halloween laws, this gives her a chance to extend her lead.

A dishonorable mention to the Boston Herald for writing such a bad fluff piece but Murphy just outstupids the rest of the stupidity in this article.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2018/10/sex_offenders_have_access_to_kids_on_halloween

Sex offenders have access to kids on Halloween
No Mass. law to stop monsters with candy
Joe Dwinell Sunday, October 07, 2018

Sex offenders are forbidden under state law from driving an ice cream truck, but they can hand out all the candy they want on Halloween in what one child advocate is calling a risky oversight.

“Halloween is like Christmas for sex offenders,” said attorney Wendy Murphy.

“They know they’ll have lots of access to kids and that they can’t get in trouble even though they’re required to stay away from children.”

Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas all have “no candy” laws that ban sex offenders from handing out treats on Halloween.

In Florida, sex offenders out on parole cannot hand out candy or wear costumes on Halloween night.

Both California and New York have similar laws that allow police to perform unannounced visits to sex offenders’ homes on Halloween night, Oct. 31.

Some states also ban offenders from corn mazes and haunted houses.

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board does map Level 3 sex offenders on the registry’s website.

The locations of bus stops near where Level 3 sex offenders live — considered the most likely to re-offend — have sparked calls to Bay State schools and the registry board, the Herald was told.

But there are no specific restrictions about participating in Halloween on the books.

Murphy, who represents victims of sexual abuse, said the annual fall tradition of trusting your neighbors is rife with pitfalls.

“Not having a law in place to protect kids on a day when they will excitedly be running toward people they should be running away from exposes kids to serious danger,” she said.

“Massachusetts already has a well-deserved reputation for not effectively protecting children from sexual abuse,” Murphy added.

The state Legislature would need to add any Halloween directive to the sex offender law for it to stick.

The Missouri Supreme Court, according to published reports, did rule that state’s Halloween ban could not be applied retroactively.

As for operating an ice cream truck, Massachusetts law states a sex offender caught doing so faces more than two years in jail or a $1,000 fine. And, the law adds, they can be arrested on the spot.

Franklin Graham says we are a nation of laws but we should be killing "pedophiles" despite the law saying that is illegal

Hm. Franklin Graham didn't seem too worried about people labeled "pedophiles" when he was defending Roy Moore. But here is the statement:

"These government run facilities that take care of these kids have pedophiles working in there. And we should never be taking children away from parents, period. Hold them together as a family. But to take their children away, so they can be exposed to pedophiles? And I believe that pedophiles need to be dealt with harshly. I believe not only incarcerate them but if  they molest a child, I think they'd be a candidate for the death penalty." 

He goes onm to say we are a "nation of laws," well, the law stated in Kennedy v Louisiana that a person cannot be executed for a crime not involving murder. So if we are a nation of laws, then the law says you are WRONG, hypocrite!

https://all4consolaws.org/2018/09/janices-journal-pedophiles-deserve-death-penalty/comment-page-1/#comment-213446

JANICE’S JOURNAL: PEDOPHILES DESERVE DEATH PENALTY
September 6, 2018

The son of Rev. Billy Graham, Rev. Franklin Graham, declared on National Public Radio this weekend that pedophiles deserve the death penalty. He also declared that we are a nation of laws.

Not only is Rev. Graham’s first statement outrageous, it is undermined and contradicted by his second statement. Why? Because the laws in many states do not include the death penalty. Furthermore, most of the 31 states that do have a death penalty law do not apply that law to an individual who is convicted solely of a sex offense.

It is noteworthy that Rev. Graham made this outrageous statement during an interview that was not on the topic of either pedophiles or the death penalty. Instead, the topic of the interview was advertised as an evangelist’s view of President Donald Trump.

It is also noteworthy that Rev. Graham’s views on pedophiles appear to be based upon a common mistake. That is, he appears to believe that the term pedophile is synonymous with the terms sex offender, child molester, sexual predator, etc.

It is a mistake made by many people who should or actually do know better including at least one Superior Court judge in Long Beach, California. That judge, in fact, declared in a public court hearing that all of the terms were synonyms. He then added that if he asked 10 people on the street, 9 people would have agreed with him. He also said that all such individuals are monsters, they always do it again and there is no cure.

An important question for society is why educated individuals, including but not limited to, ministers and judges feel comfortable making such outrageous statements in very public places. The answer may be that those who know the truth — that pedophilia is a medical diagnosis and not a crime — are afraid to speak out.

Another important question is why educated individuals would advocate the death penalty for someone diagnosed with a medical condition. Do they advocate that individuals diagnosed with other medical conditions such as cancer and diabetes also deserve the death penalty? Of course not! Instead, they advocate for adequate medical care and attention. It’s time to speak out on this important topic.

It’s time to speak truth to power. You can do so by writing to Rev. Franklin Graham at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 or calling him at (704) 401-2432.

Click the link below to listen, the comment is 10 minutes into the recording.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/rev-franklin-graham-offers-evangelists-view-donald-trump-podcast/

NY State Sen. John Flanigan believes allowing registered citizens voting rights "undermines" the integrity of the voting system

Of course this came from the New York Post, the paper so bad that using it to line birdcages should get you arrested for animal cruelty.

As a side note, if our election system had integrity, we would not have two presidents in the 21st century put in office despite losing the popular vote.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-cuomo-civil-confinement-sex-offenders-vote-pardon-20180721-story.html#

EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of locked up sex offenders among those granted conditional pardons by Gov. Cuomo so they can vote

By KENNETH LOVETT
| ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF |
JUL 23, 2018 | 4:05 AM
|

ALBANY — Dozens of convicted sexual predators deemed too dangerous to be returned to the community after their release from prison are among the thousands who received conditional pardons from Gov. Cuomo, giving them the right to vote, the Daily News has learned.

At least 77 sexual predators sent to civil confinement in state psychiatric hospitals after their prison time was up are affected by the widespread pardons, various records show.

While the names of those in civil confinement are often shielded, a comparison of records showed the 77 predators shared one of two addresses — both of which happened to be upstate mental hospitals that house the civilly confined. One of the predators is Hector Aviles, 61, who was known as the “voodoo rapist.” Aviles was convicted of second-degree rape in Westchester County in 2008 after telling three of his victims — the oldest of whom was 16 — that if they participated in a sexual “ritual” with him, he could help them with their problems. If they didn’t, he said, bad things would happen to them and their families.

The rest of the list of 77 is littered with ***** and rapists and other violent sexual abusers. All were granted conditional pardons from Cuomo under a new policy designed to give back the right to vote to those who leave prison.

“This is hands-down the most egregious public policy misstep Andrew Cuomo has made in his eight years as governor, and it shows that he will do virtually anything for a few extra votes,” said Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County).

“This policy rewards the worst of the worst sexual predators and lowlifes in our society and undermines the integrity of our voting system in every way, shape and form,” Flanagan added.

 

The governor announced in May that more than 24,000 parolees in the first round were issued the conditional pardons.

The Daily News reported at the time that one beneficiary was convicted cop killer Herman Bell, who was granted parole earlier this year over the objections of the law enforcement community, some state lawmakers and the slain officer’s family.

Cuomo aides have argued that the wholesale pardons are automatic once someone is paroled or released from prison and they are in good standing.

“The order was straightforward and put New York on par with Washington, D.C., and 18 other states — including such liberal bastions as Utah” that either never take away voting rights from convicts or restore them upon their release from prison, Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said with some sarcasm.

He noted that all other conditions of parole or release are upheld.

“It’s unfortunate that some are using the issue of restoring voting rights to fearmonger,” Azzopardi said.

Kerri Kelleher of Cranston RI thinks she knows what registrants talk about when they hang out. Someone educate this idiot!

Coincidentally, the first thing I thought of when seeing this quote is THIS CLIP from Family Guy, which is set in a fictional town in Rhode Island. Feel free to Tweet to Kerri Kelleher and tell her how you feel about her comment.

http://www.abc6.com/story/38080129/cranston-residents-concerned-about-sex-offenders-criminally-insane-living-nearby

Cranston residents concerned about sex offenders, criminally insane living nearby
Posted: May 01, 2018 12:53 AM EDT
Updated: May 01, 2018 12:53 AM EDT

By John Krinjak

Email: jkrinjak@abc6.com

Twitter: @johnkrinjakABC6

CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) -- Cranston East High School hosted a forum Monday night that many feel is long overdue, about a growing list of unwanted neighbors for those who live along Roosevelt and Pontiac Avenues.

"With Cranston being the receiving community of not only sex offenders but now the criminally insane, our residents need to be aware of it," said Rep. Robert Lancia.

Since 2012, the sex offender population at Harrington Hall on Howard Ave has been steadily growing--now hovering around 30.

"If you go hang out with your knitting buddies, you're probably going to talk about knitting. If you're out with people who like baseball, you're probably going to talk about baseball. What does anybody think the sex offenders are hanging out talking about? It's not baseball," said Kerri Kelleher, who helped organize the forum. 

Many residents are terrified about this cluster of predators just steps away from residential neighborhoods.

"My 8 year old doesn't know what any of them look like and that's really my biggest concern//we're stuck. And there's a lot of neighborhoods off of Mayfield Avenue with a lot of kids in them," said Cranston resident Kate Caito.

As if that's not enough, the Roosevelt Benton Center, formerly part of the Rhode Island Training School, will soon be home to a population of criminally insane inmates.

"They've been problematic in prison. To think that they're going to be in a less secured setting could create a real nightmare for everyone," said Richard Ferruccio, president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers.

Some residents are thinking about leaving--saying they just don't feel safe in the city.

"It's very alarming. Makes me want to put my house on the market, actually, and move," said Cranston resident Laura Laviano.

There is currently legislation in the works to limit the number of sex offenders at any one homeless shelter, but it's being held up by a lawsuit from the ACLU.

Many neighbors say city officials should be taking more of a lead here, though members of the city council and a representative for Mayor Allen Fung were in attendance.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin blames sex crimes against children on teacher strike

Between those quotation fingers is a full blown idiot. If your kid misses school even one day, not only will he/she be sexually assaulted, that kid will try drugs for the first time, according to this guy putting the goober in gubernatorial.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kentucky-governor-blames-teacher-protest-031528663.html

Kentucky Governor Blames Teacher Protest For Inevitable Assault Of Children Left Home Alone

Mary Papenfuss,
HuffPost
Fri, Apr 13 11:15 PM EDT

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin slammed protesting teachers with an outrageous accusation Friday evening, indicating they were responsible for the inevitable sexual assault or poisoning of children left home alone in his state because school was out.

“I’m offended by the fact that people so cavalierly, and so flippantly, disregarded what’s truly best for children,” the Republican governor said at an impromptu news conference captured on video after teachers rallied at the state Capitol to stop school funding cuts.

Bevin also dissed protesting teachers for “hangin’ out, shoes off ... smokin’, leavin’ trash around, takin’ the day off.”

Bevin said “for a fact .... hundreds of thousands” of children were left home alone because schools were closed in 39 districts across the state to allow teachers and administrators to protest funding cuts.

“I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them,” he said. “I guarantee you somewhere today a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn’t have any money to take care of them.”

Bevin said, that in some “communities,” his fellow Kentuckians knew children would be home alone and “took advantage of it.” He added: “As surely as we’re having this conversation, children were harmed, some physically, some sexually. Some were introduced to drugs for the first time because they were vulnerable and left alone. It’s offensive. It really is.”

Teachers rallied in Frankfort to urge legislators to override Bevin’s vetoes of the budget and tax reform bills — which they did on Friday.

Kentucky Education Association President Stephanie Winkler told The Louisville Courier-Journal that she was “appalled” by Bevin’s remarks. Organizers said parents were given plenty of notice about school closings.

Jefferson County Teachers Association President Brent McKim told the Courier-Journal that using Bevin’s logic, schools should never close.

“The fact is, every school district did its level best to let parents know school was going to be closed with as much notice as possible,” McKim said. “The bottom line is that’s one day. He was cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from kids that would impact every day, and that’s what we were in Frankfort to stop. We were there with the overwhelming support and encouragement of our parents who know that we care about every student in our classes.”

Illinois Supreme Court Injustice Mary Jane Theis proves to us why facts and figures does not trump the whims of an out of control "justice system"

This is why my focus has shifted from the courts to the legislature. The IL Supreme Court doesn't care about your facts and figures.

Read the Illinois Supreme Court Decision HERE.

https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/11/court-says-relying-on-fake-recidivism-nu

Writing Sex Offender Laws Based on Fake Recidivism Numbers Is Rational, Court Says

The Illinois Supreme Court unanimously upholds a law banning sex offenders from public parks.

Jacob Sullum|Apr. 11, 2018 1:45 pm

Last week the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a state law banning sex offenders from public parks, overturning a 2017 appeals court ruling that deemed the statute "unconstitutional on its face because it bears no reasonable relationship to protecting the public." The seven members of the higher court unanimously disagreed, saying, "We conclude that there is a rational relation between protecting the public, particularly children, from sex offenders and prohibiting sex offenders who have been convicted of crimes against minors from being present in public parks across the state."

In reaching that conclusion, the justices relied on alarming claims about recidivism among sex offenders, even while acknowledging that the claims have been discredited. The decision, written by Justice Mary Jane Theis, shows how fear overrides logic in dealing with sex offenders and how toothless "rational basis" review can be, allowing legislators not only to draw their own judgments but to invent their own facts.

Under Section 11-9.4-1(b) of the Illinois Criminal Code, "It is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex offender to knowingly be present in any public park building or on real property comprising any public park." In 2013 Marc Pepitone, who served a six-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child in 1998, was arrested for walking his dog in Bolingbrook's Indian Boundary Park. In addition to dog walking, the Third District Appellate Court noted when it overturned Pepitone's conviction, the law he violated criminalizes "a wide swath of innocent conduct" in public parks, including hiking, photography, bird watching, fishing, swimming, and bicycling; "attending concerts, picnics, rallies, and Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field"; and visiting "the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, the Adler Planetarium, or the Museum of Science and Industry, all of which are public buildings on park land."

Despite the park ban's substantial and lifelong impact on the recreational options of sex offenders, Pepitone did not claim the law implicated a "fundamental liberty interest." It was therefore subjected to rational basis review, a highly deferential test requiring only a rational relationship between the law and a legitimate government objective. In concluding that the law failed even that test, the appeals court noted (among other things) that "the statute places individuals who are highly unlikely to recidivate in the same category as serial child sex offenders."

The Illinois Supreme Court also thinks recidivism rates are relevant but is willing to accept whatever legislators say on the subject, even when there is no evidence to support it. "The State asserts that sex offenders have high rates of recidivism," Justice Theis writes. "Those rates have been widely accepted by courts across the country, including the United States Supreme Court, which has mentioned 'a frightening and high risk of recidivism' for convicted sex offenders." But that widely cited quote from Justice Anthony Kennedy, which comes from the plurality opinion in the 2002 case McKune v. Lile, was based entirely on an unverified claim in a 1986 Psychology Today article by a therapist who has repudiated it, saying he is "appalled" at the lingering impact of his three-decade-old estimate.

Kennedy said "the rate of recidivism of untreated offenders has been estimated to be as high as 80%." Urging passage of the Illinois park ban, a state legislator claimed sex offenders commit new crimes "40 or 50 or 60 percent of the time." Studies that track sex offenders after they are released from prison find much lower recidivism rates. A 2014 meta-analyis covering almost 8,000 sex offenders, for example, found a five-year recidivism rate of about 20 percent among "high-risk" offenders but less than 3 percent among the rest. After 15 years, the recidivism rate rose to 32 percent for the high-risk offenders and 5 percent for the others.

Theis is aware of the controversy over Kennedy's Trumpesque claim. "Regarding recidivism rates," she notes, "the defendant insists that the McKune plurality's 'frightening and high' comment has been debunked." It has. Repeatedly. And courts have begun to notice. But never mind. "Regardless of how convincing that social science may be," Theis says, "'the legislature is in a better position than the judiciary to gather and evaluate data bearing on complex problems.'"

In this case, both the legislature and the judiciary have assumed crucial facts that simply are not true, as far as we can tell based on all of the research that has been done during the last few decades. Theis is saying laws should nevertheless be written and upheld based on those demonstrably false assumptions until legislators decide to gather data. Call that whatever you want, but it surely is not rational.

Protect.org uses Repressed Memory (AKA False Memory Syndrome) to lobby for ending Statutes of Limitations

I never even heard of the organization PROTECT until someone sent this to me in an email. The full name of the organization is "The National Association to Protect Children" and proclaims to be a "national pro-child, anti-crime membership association. We are founded on the belief that our first and most sacred obligation as parents, citizens and members of the human species is the protection of children." This means yet another victim cult that promotes more named laws like "Alicia's Law" as well as ending statutes of limitations.

Now, they are using the debunked myth of "repressed memories" (better known as False Memory Syndrome) as a key talking point. In case you don't feel like researching, "repressed memories" is a phenomenon of the Satanic Ritual Abuse era panic where memories were "recovered" through hypnosis or mind-altering drugs where people "remembered" they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of underground pedophilic Illuminati satanists, mainly in daycare centers across the US. That myth started with Michelle Remembers, a book that was debunked as a complete fabrication.

Get this, the President of the group is the woman who played the annoying Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. At least she's used to being an unlikable character.

Worst of all, these absurd beliefs are shaping public policy.

https://www.facebook.com/protectnow/posts/1764431536934592

At PROTECT, sometimes we launch our own federal initiatives, but sometimes we are asked to review bills in Congress and to support members efforts to protect children.

Almost two years ago Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator John Cornyn asked PROTECT to review Extending Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act. Incorporated into this bill was a provision to open up the statute of limitations, which provides civil remedy for victims to sue their abusers. A year ago, this bill was added to S 534 Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act, a bill in response to the Larry Nasser case.

Longtime PROTECT supporters will remember our fight to open up the statute of limitations in Virginia back in 2011. (https://pilotonline.com/…/article_ace91d27-c9a3-5658-966d-5…)

We learned in that fight that simply extending the amount of time victims have to sue after turning 18 was not enough. Repressed memory is real and often times victims don’t remember the details of their abuse until a life event triggers the memories. Sometimes victims do not associate problems they have like addiction, suicidal ideation, PTSD, eating disorders, or depression until they receive counseling and the underlying abuse is identified as the cause. For those reasons PROTECT advocated strongly for an amendment which would allow victims to sue their abusers not just 10 years from the age of majority, but 10 years after discovery of the abuse or 10 years after discovery of the injury. PROTECTs amendment effectively abolishes the federal civil statute of limitations.

Yesterday that bill became law.