If you are traveling alone with your teenage daughter & stay at Travelodge, you might be confused for a "pedophile"

This has actually happened TWICE now, both times involving Travelodge. I see a pattern here.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/682663/Dad-Karl-Pollard-staying-travelodge-with-daughter-branded-paedo-visit-sick-mum

Dad branded 'paedo' by Travelodge for visiting sick mum with his daughter
A DAD staying in a hotel with his teenage daughter was stunned when staff told police he was a paedophile.

The doting father was branded a sex offender after Travelodge staff mistook his daughter for an underage girl they thought he had groomed.

Shocked Karl Pollard, 46, was taking Stephanie, 14, to visit his cancer-stricken mum.

The pair checked into the budget hotel near her home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, earlier this month.

But when Karl went up to the room to freshen up, he was confronted by police, who accused him of grooming the teenager.

Karl said: “I couldn’t believe it.

“It was an emotional trip already – but it was made so much worse.

“One minute I was brushing my teeth, the next I was being told I was a paedophile.”

Karl and Stephanie had made the four-hour train journey from their home in south Wales to visit his mother.

Karl said: “My mum has just been diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer.

“We’re not sure how long she has left."

“I wanted to take Stephanie down to visit her before she started treatment.”

Karl, a carer for his wife Kim, 45, who has multiple sclerosis, booked a double bedroom for him and Stephanie after being told it was the only room left.

He said: “When we arrived the receptionist gave me a weird look but I thought nothing of it.

“We went up to the room to get unpacked and ready to see my mum.

“It was only a 20-minute walk away – which is why I chose the hotel.

“About 10 minutes later there was a knock at the door. A policewoman was standing there. I thought something had happened to my mum or my wife.

“But she said, ‘We’ve had a call from Travelodge, they believe you are a paedophile grooming underage girls’.”

Karl and Stephanie were interviewed separately by the officer.

He said: “I explained to her that I was Stephanie’s dad.

“The officer had to ask her loads of questions to prove it.”

Karl said police dropped the matter almost immediately, but the episode left Stephanie “distraught”.

He said: “My daughter was in tears. She was so scared – and thought I was going to get taken away.

“This has never happened to me before.”

He said that Travelodge had not apologised to him and not offered a refund for his stay. The weekend cost Karl £150.

He added: “It was an already traumatic trip. I was treated disgustingly.

“The worst was my daughter, she was just so distraught.”

Travelodge said it takes its responsibilities towards protecting children and vulnerable young people extremely seriously.

A spokesman said they had said sorry to Karl and had now given him a full refund.

They added: “All our hotel teams are trained according to national guidelines supported by the NSPCC.

“In the past proactive action by our hotel teams has helped to safeguard young people at risk. In this instance we got it wrong.”

Cheshire Police said: “Police were called at 3pm on Thursday, February 8, to reports of suspicious activity at a hotel on Waters Green in Macclesfield.

“Staff at the Travelodge did the right thing by reporting what they believed to be suspicious activity to officers, although thankfully there was nothing untoward and it turned out to be a misunderstanding.”

Last year, a Travelodge in Surrey asked dad Craig Darwell to prove he was the father of 13-year-old daughter Millie after staff accused him of being a paedophile.

Could someone please tell Tom Holm of the Lewiston Tribune that the Constition is NOT a "loophole"?

I'm getting real tired of the media using the term "loophole" in an attempt to propagate fear and misinformation.

I am not going to publish the entire piece, just the relevant passage.

http://lmtribune.com/northwest/chilling-loophole/article_1a63dd48-3e1a-56bb-bb58-f4fb24847877.html

Chilling loophole
Two-time sex offender convicted one day prior to retroactive sex offender registry won't be added to list if he is released
By TOM HOLM of the Tribune Feb 25, 2018

The loophole

The sex offender registry doesn’t include many loopholes. But John Mebane could fit through this one.

The registry was adopted by the Idaho Legislature in 1998. It states that those convicted of some sex crimes will be added to a lifetime registry if convicted on or after July 1, 1993.

John Mebane was convicted of molesting the 4-year-old boy on June 30, 1993, just one day prior to the retroactive date of the registry.

Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, said in an email he corresponded with colleagues in the state Senate and found that modifying the law to be infinitely retroactive would be unconstitutional.

Any attempt to retroactively include offenders prior to July 1993 would be deemed “ex post facto,” and such laws are unconstitutional. The rule is meant to prevent previously legislated criminal sanctions from being retroactive or increasing punishments. Idaho law conforms with federal code in this circumstance. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has found in two cases that publishing the registry online – in 2003 prior to its ubiquity on the web – was permitted since it was not considered an increased punishment.

Mike Mebane said he’s called each of Idaho’s congressmen trying to compel them to make the registry infinitely retroactive, but without movement on the federal level or a U.S. Supreme Court opinion it’s unlikely to change.

FloriDUH House of Reps considers porn worse than assault rifles just days after a school shooting

This is pretty stupid, even by FloriDUH.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/374816-florida-house-votes-to-declare-porn-a-public-health-risk-within-an-hour

Florida House declares porn a public health risk shortly after denying assault rifle ban
BY AVERY ANAPOL - 02/21/18 09:25 AM EST

Florida lawmakers on Tuesday passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health risk, less than an hour after they rejected a motion to consider a bill that would ban assault rifles.

The Florida House of Representatives opened its Tuesday session with a motion to debate a bill banning assault rifles, which it rejected by a 36-71 vote within three minutes, according to The Washington Post.

In the same session, less than an hour later, according to the newspaper, the legislature considered a GOP-backed bill to declare porn a public health risk, which it passed by a voice vote.

During the debate, state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) questioned state Rep. Ross Spano, the GOP lawmaker who presented the pornography bill, asking if pornography has killed anyone or caused first responders to seek counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Smith later criticized Spano and the bill to The Associated Press.

“[Spano] was saying porn as a health risk was more important to address here in the Florida Legislature than the epidemic of gun violence," Smith told the AP. "These are their priorities. I don't understand the politics, to be honest, if I'm being honest. I'm not aware there's a base of voters who are losing sleep every night over the epidemic of pornography as a public health crisis."

Survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were present in the gallery watching while the lawmakers voted not to consider the ban on assault rifles, and many have since intensified their calls to vote the lawmakers out of office.

Sheryl Acquaroli, a junior from Stoneman Douglas, told CNN that the lawmakers’ decision to not consider the assault rifle ban was “heartbreaking.” Police say the gunman used an AR-15 assault rifle, purchased legally, to kill 17 people and injure 14 others at the school last Wednesday.

“It was just so heartbreaking to see how many names were up there, especially after it was my school,” Acquaroli said. “It seemed almost heartless how they immediately pushed the button to say 'no.'”

UK District Judge Tim Spruce is the worst Nottingham public official since that Sheriff from Robin Hood

It was fitting that the Disney rendition of Robin Hood depicted the Sheriff of Nottingham as a bloated wolf. I suppose the District Judge of Nottingham could be accurately depicted by a sewer rat.

I think the headline of the article succinctly explains why this judge from the UK is on the list.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/vigilante-groups-should-able-snare-1236748.amp

Vigilante groups SHOULD be able to snare paedophiles online, judge rules
It had been argued the defendant had been entrapped by the group

BY ROD MALCOLM
08:42, 20 FEB 2018

A child groomer must remain in custody after a judge ruled that paedophile hunters were allowed to snare him at Nottingham Railway Station.

Defence solicitor Julian Griffiths suggested that sting operations should be left to the police - and that vigilantes could spark trouble by staging arrests.

But District Judge Tim Spruce said the group's evidence should be accepted at the trial of **** at the city's magistrates' court. He found him guilty of three charges.

The judge said: "There are competing interests, clearly a public interest to protect children from the type of behaviour alleged here, sexual exploitation and abuse.

"The counter argument is that if we allow people to set you up in this way, it will result in disorder, there will be more trouble and it will cause more crime.

"I think in balancing these factors, most people would think it is more important to prevent sexual exploitation rather than run the risk of vigilantes creating disorder." ...

He was sent to Nottingham Crown Court to appear there on March 12. Bismellah, formerly of Coventry, has been in custody since the paedophile hunters performed a citizens' arrest at the station on December 16.

At the trial, Mr Griffiths said the group set a trap and encouraged law-breaking. He questioned whether it was the right way to tackle internet grooming...

"But he was being entrapped, being tempted into this activity. This deception was a pack of lies and there is the sting at the railway station.

"These people are unregulated investigators, some would call them vigilantes. This should be a state prosecution but this is a misuse of the courts. Only if it is impracticable for the police to attend should they effect a citizens' arrest."

Dennis Dodd is putting the BS in CBS and the ANAL in Analyst

I see BS, a LOT of BS, in this article. Stick with plain old sports writing, Dennis.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/oregon-state-silent-as-luke-heimlich-is-somehow-allowed-to-return-to-the-diamond/

Oregon State silent as Luke Heimlich is somehow allowed to return to the diamond
The Beavers' star pitcher pleaded guilty to felony child molestation at age 15

by Dennis Dodd
 @dennisdoddcbs
Feb 16, 2018 • 4 min read

At some point this weekend, Oregon State will begin its baseball season with an admitted child molester on the mound.

Luke Heimlich is in the Beavers' rotation the same way he was last June when The Oregonian broke the story that one of the nation's best pitchers had pleaded guilty to a count of felony child molestation.

At age 15, Heimlich molested a 6-year-old female relative, according to the report. While Heimlich reportedly denied the allegations, he still pleaded guilty, preferring to avoid a trial.

His probation is over. The case was sealed in August after a five-year period. Amazingly, he is still on the team.

A big reason we know any of this is the state of Washington, where the crime occurred, doesn't necessarily seal juvenile files. Thank goodness. It was only after digging last year by The Oregonian that these questions became relevant …

When did the school and coach Pat Casey know of Heimlich's crime?
Did Heimlich and his family conceal his situation from the school and Casey when pursuing a scholarship?
Upon revelation of his situation, why wasn't Heimlich suspended/kicked off the team?
And why, eight months later -- after ultimately removing himself from the lineup last postseason -- is he still on the team?
Everybody deserves a second chance, but in any rational society there is a line that can't be crossed. Heimlich's admitted actions are intolerable, heinous. His privileged presence on the mound mocks every victim of sexual violence.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be in school -- somewhere. It's the same argument that haunted Oklahoma when it enabled Joe Mixon. The tailback was suspended for a year but still allowed to complete his career after punching a woman.

Oklahoma should stand for something better than that. One would hope Oregon State does, too.

I'm agreeing with my friend Brenda Tracy, an activist and rape victim.


Brenda Tracy
✔
@brendatracy24
I don’t think athletes with sexually violent histories and criminal/felony records should get to play sports. Period.

If you have a problem with that then you are the problem.

5:26 PM - Feb 14, 2018
198
38 people are talking about this

Some administrator somewhere has to take a stand. Athletes with sexually violent histories simply should not be allowed to play college sports. It's possible. Indiana and Utah have such bans at their schools. The SEC and Pac-12 ban transfers with "serious misconduct" in their backgrounds.

Playing sports is a privilege, not a right -- and certainly not a legal volleyball to be batted around.

When I asked one Power Five athletic director about kicking Heimlich off the team, he portrayed the situation to me this way.

"I'm sure [Oregon State's] looking at him saying, 'We're going to get sued because he'd done his penance.' I would rather get sued by him."

And as long as we're asking pointed questions, here are a couple of others …

If Heimlich were a low-level walk-on, would he still have a spot on the team?
If you were absolutely innocent -- as Heimlich contended, according to reports -- how many of you would plead guilty to felony child molestation simply to avoid trial?
Thought so.

Casey did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Oregon State president Ed Ray said he "is not available for Luke Heimlich questions." The spokesman resent to CBS Sports a statement by Ray released last June.

In it, Ray supported Heimlich, "rejoining the baseball team next season." He also hinted "admission criteria" could be revisited beginning this fall. That's too late for the victim who must endure Heimlich's notoriety and success. Reports say she is 12 now.

Ray is hard to figure out. As chair of the NCAA Executive Committee, he admitted to not reading the Freeh Report, the basis for those crippling penalties at Penn State. In 2015, Ray advocated for that Pac-12 transfer ban. It seems beyond hypocritical, then, he has a sex offender on his baseball team.

I reached out to three FBS athletic directors to get their anonymous takes. I asked them: Would Luke Heimlich be on your team under these circumstances right now?

Athletic director A said, "[I] cannot imagine playing him."

Athletic director B said, "Hell no, but these days it doesn't seem that easy."

As the Power Five AD mentioned earlier, athletic director B brought up the possibility of a lawsuit by Heimlich. That would scare everyone in administration. But so should having an admitted sex offender in your midst.

Or should we be surprised at all? Oregon State doesn't ban felons from competing as athletes. Neither does the NCAA.

"Everybody, most of the time, deserves a second chance. I get that," athletic director B said. "[Heimlich] went through his counseling, but it was a 6-year-old child … You've got little girls coming to your games. You can't have that as an image with your program with Larry Nassar and all those things going on. Really?

"You just have to say, 'I'm sorry, young man, you can't play for us.'"

That last sentence is where all this has to change. Heimlich had his due process. His victim will have to live with his admitted actions for the rest of her life. It remains disgusting Heimlich had to remove himself from the NCAA Baseball Tournament last year not wanting to be a "distraction."

What's changed now that he is back?

Heimlich, the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, went undrafted. He had been projected as a first-round pick. Major League Baseball spoke volumes without saying a word.

If somehow Heimlich thinks the whole thing will blow over by this June's draft, that's misguided, too. This will follow Heimlich wherever he goes for the rest of his life. As it should.

You think he won't be a distraction now over a full season, traveling across the country with one of the nation's best college programs?

Get ready for ugly chants from the stands. Get ready for more columns like this one wherever Oregon State plays. Get ready for one of the more distasteful College World Series in memory if Oregon State qualifies again with Heimlich pitching.

As for now … play ball?

How many men would a #MeToo feminist grope if a #MeToo Feminist could grope men? Ask GRABBY Garcia

The hypocrisy of the #MeToo Movement has come to a head here. She has taken unpaid leave, at least. Garcia was featured in the cover story of this year's Time Magazine Person of the Year "The Silence Breakers" article and bashed the judge in the Brock Turner case. How the tables have turned!

http://time.com/5140897/california-metoo-assemblywoman-misconduct-allegation/

A Leader of California's #MeToo Movement Has Been Accused of Sexual Misconduct

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE / AP February 9, 2018

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — California Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, the head of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and a leading figure in the state’s anti-sexual harassment movement, is accused of groping a male staffer from another lawmaker’s office, according to a report published Thursday.

The incident occurred in a dugout after a softball game in 2014 and now is being investigated by the Assembly, Politico reported. Daniel Fierro didn’t report it at the time but in January mentioned it to his former boss, Democratic Assemblyman Ian Calderon, who reported it to Assembly leaders.

Fierro, who was 25 at the time, said after the game Garcia stroked his back, squeezed his buttocks and attempted to touch his crotch. He said he was interviewed by an outside law firm hired by the Assembly Rules Committee last Friday. Politico also reported that a lobbyist who declined to be named claimed Garcia made crude sexual comments and tried to grab his crotch at a 2017 fundraiser.

Garcia, who has spoken out strongly against her male colleagues who have been accused of sexual harassment, said she was unaware of the claims until Thursday.

“Every complaint about sexual harassment should be taken seriously and I will participate fully in any investigation that takes place,” the Los Angeles-area lawmaker said in a statement. “I have zero recollection of engaging in inappropriate behavior and such behavior is inconsistent with my values.”

Fierro and the lobbyist said it appeared Garcia was inebriated at the time of the encounters.

In a November interview with The Associated Press about alcohol-fueled fundraisers and other after-work events that are a part of regular business in Sacramento, Garcia said blaming alcohol isn’t an acceptable excuse for sexually inappropriate behavior. It’s men who chose to misbehave, not the social events themselves, that create the problems, she said.

“I would say that most of the public realizes that our job is based on relationships, and so we are expected to go out there and socialize,” she said. “I think our public also expects us to hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

The Assembly committee said last week that eight allegations of sexual harassment are pending in the Assembly but did not divulge any names. Debra Gravert, the chief administrative officer, didn’t respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking confirmation that Garcia is under investigation and clarifying whether Fierro’s allegation is one of the eight pending.

Fierro, of Cerritos, now runs a communications firm. He previously worked for Calderon, who became the majority leader. Lerna Shirinian, Calderon’s communications director, said Fierro told her about the incident right after it happened.

“He was in shock, I was in shock — but the culture was very different back then,” Shirinian said.

Garcia was elected in 2012 and has carved out a name as a champion of women’s issues and environmental health for poor communities. She chairs the Women’s Caucus and her photo was featured in Time Magazine’s Person of the Year issue on being one of the “Silence Breakers” on sexual harassment.

“I refuse to work with (Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra) and anyone who takes part in harassment or assault,” she tweeted in October after it was reported Bocanegra had been disciplined in 2009 for groping a colleague. Bocanegra later resigned after more women made public accusations.

Garcia was a fierce advocate for legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday giving legislative staff members whistleblower protections for reporting sexual misconduct or other misbehavior, speaking at a rally on the Capitol steps after its passage. She’s tweeted repeatedly about the importance of sexual consent in recent days.

Democratic Sen. Connie Leyva, co-chair of the women’s caucus, said she was “shocked and disturbed” at the allegations and she will ask the group to meet soon to discuss Garcia’s fate as leader.

Arkansas College Classroom gets a lesson on Predator Panic from backwater, misinformed "Detective"

Presumably, Det. Ted Schaeffer is pointing to the stupid one in the picture

Wow, talk about an out of touch cop! This guy has no idea what he is saying.

1. You may not have "other registries" in Arkansas, but across the countries, we DO have registries for other types of crimes. Here in Ohio where I live, we have an arsonist registry.

2. Reoffense rates for people convicted of sexually based offenses are far lower than any other crime type. They are unique, alright-- uniquely low.

3. This cop is admitting to using the registry as an intimidation tool. That being said, the registry has been proven ineffective. That means it DOES. NOT. WORK!

4. This guy makes an erroneous assumption every registrant suffers from an illness and cannot be "cured." Very few offenders are of the "fixated" variety. I'd trust decades of research over a lone cop who only has "the beat" as a reference point.

This guy was at the college, so maybe he should have enrolled in school since he obviously needs an education!

http://harrisondaily.com/news/sexual-predators-like-to-use-social-media/article_1faabe9e-0d1e-11e8-96e3-332dec6aa5b5.html

A computer networking class at North Arkansas College recently got a little computer instruction they didn’t expect.

Harrison Police Detective Cpl. Ted Schaeffer spoke to the class about the use of social media and how sex offenders or predators can use it to mark potential victims.

Schaeffer told students that the sex offender registry is unique in that it’s the only criminal registry. For instance, there’s no registry for narcotics and burglary convicts.

He said the reason is that for most crimes people can be rehabilitated, but there is no way to rehabilitate a sex offender.

One student said she had taken a psychology class in which some psychiatrists argued that there is rehabilitation for sex offenders.

Schaeffer said that argument is made largely because offenders are taught suppression techniques. They may be able to avoid the situations that made them offend in the first place, but those sexual urges are always present from puberty to the grave.

The sex offender registry is based on the theory that presence is prevention. When people see a police car at the side of the road, they instinctively slow down.

With the registry, the community and police are aware of who are sex offenders, who also have a lingering fear of being arrested again.

But before an offender is arrested, they can easily use social media to stalk victims.

Schaeffer shared with students a 2014 story in the Harrison Daily Times in which a man who had been arrested for sexual assault of underage girls agreed to be interviewed, although he declined to allow the newspaper to use his real name and was identified as “Jack.”

Jack explained that he always used Facebook to meet young girls, although any internet site with private message capabilities would suffice. It also helps if the site allows users to upload photos.

He’d research their profiles, reading past posts and checking out pictures. He’d look for pictures they posted of themselves in skanky clothing or at parties with older guys.

“You know what kind of girl she is,” he told the Daily Times. “It’s easy to read people by how they represent themselves with their clothing and their attitude, previous posts on Facebook.

“If they’re talking about going out and partying in a previous post, even though she’s 12 to 15, if she’s got a bunch of pictures on there of her at a party, you know she loves to party. That opens up a new conversation.”

Jack had also said he would make contact with a number of girls before connecting with one, so it was a numbers game like most other internet scams.

So, Schaeffer urged students to check their social media feeds and profiles, making certain they — even though not under age — could prevent falling victim to a sexual predator.

Than can mean checking friend lists; a predator could easily be checking them as well.

Patty Pansing Brooks uses lame Youtube "Teacup" video to push for even lamer Affirmative consent bill in Nebraska

Nebraska is wanting to join California in passing a ridiculous and much maligned "affirmative consent law." I've already bashed the bill, but readers feel that NE State legislator Patty Pansing Brooks deserves a nomination because of how she is promoting the bill-- with a silly British video of a teacup. Makes me want to rewrite I'm a little teapot, so here goes: "Pansing's like a teapot, loud and stout, She lacks some brain cells but loves to spout, when this bill does not pass watch her pout, next  election let's vote her out!"

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/01/23/metoo-movement-has-lawmakers-talking-about-consent

In Nebraska, state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would scrap the force requirements for both perpetrators and victims in the current law while imposing a new affirmative consent standard.

“The old law didn’t do enough,” she said. “I guess the theory was, How could a woman not want sex? She has to prove herself she didn’t want it. … If you require that there be force, then someone has to fight off someone to say no. That’s not a reasonable standard.”

One of the most popular videos for explaining affirmative consent is a British public service video comparing sex to offering someone a cup of tea. If someone isn’t sure if they want tea, changes their mind about wanting tea, or passes out, the person who brewed the tea shouldn’t force it down the other person’s throat.

Pansing Brooks said she plans to send the video to all the legislators in her state, adding that she has heard some confusion on talk radio there, with hosts arguing it’s not always clear whether someone wants to have sex.

“ ‘How are we supposed to know?’ Well, ask her,” Pansing Brooks said. “It’s yes or no if you want to have sex. … You better be darn sure, or you could be liable.”

Here is the video she is sending out:

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.