Catholic Transcript Online

HARTFORD – A controversial push in Connecticut to waive the 30-year time limit for victims to sue for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or sexual assault has been withdrawn.

 Rep. Bye said that she raised the bill after dozens of victims contacted her, including people who said they were victims of the late Dr. George Reardon, who has been accused of photographing and molesting his young patients at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, a Catholic hospital in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

The state’s Catholic bishops vigorously fought the bill, saying that it targeted the Church and the hospital. The proposal would have retroactively removed the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.

At a press conference at the Legislative Office Building April 30, Rep. Bye said, "We have the support of many legislators, but we do not believe it is likely that the bill would be enacted into law with so few days left in our session."

Rep. Michael P. Lawlor (D-99), co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a supporter of the bill, said that "there is likely to be a resolution of at least one of the major situations which have given rise to the focus on this bill. I think people are very motivated to get this whole situation behind them."

He would not get more specific, but he added, "It is very clear that this debate will continue whether or not claims are resolved."

He later added, "I think people who are directly affected by this, as victims and as defendants, seem to be very motivated to resolve this as soon as possible. It only makes sense."

Senator Mary Ann Handley (D-4), a co-sponsor, said that despite the withdrawal of H.B. 5473, "We are committed, absolutely committed to the future." She said, "We’ve got to continue this work to make sure that all children, wherever they are, whenever this abuse occurs, are going to be able to find justice."

She said, "We are running a marathon, not a sprint."

Rep. Bye said, "Over the past few weeks, we have had the opportunity to meet with parties potentially impacted by the bill. Through these discussions, we believe that this process toward justice for the victims will continue."

With less than a week left in the legislative session and a state budget to resolve, it seemed unlikely that there would be time to garner the necessary votes before the Connecticut General Assembly’s scheduled adjournment on May 5.

In a column that he sent to The Catholic Transcript shortly after the press conference, Archbishop Henry J. Mansell called withdrawal of the bill "good public policy," and reiterated the Church’s commitment to victims.

"As I have written and stated many times, we regard sexual abuse of minors as a heinous act, a heart-sickening event, a grievous sin, and a serious crime.

"We must continue our work to make sure that our efforts to prevent it continue to be effective. We will, at the same time, make every effort in good faith to assist victims in the past with all the means at our disposal," he wrote.

Michael C. Culhane, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, said, "I am pleased with the withdrawal of the bill for a number of reasons that we have been stating for the last two months. The first is that the bill discriminated against private and nonpublic institutions. Second, the bill is retroactive in its application. Third, there is not one syllable in the entire bill which is aimed at protecting children, and we think that is a very, very important aspect when you are dealing with this particular kind of crime. And fourth, there is a very real possibility, based on the experiences of other dioceses, that the ability of the three [Connecticut] dioceses to continue to aid the good works of Catholic health care, Catholic education and Catholic social services would be impaired."

Mr. Culhane said that the main difference between Connecticut’s bill and similar bills passed in Delaware, Alaska, Maine and Florida is that Connecticut’s bill would have been retroactive. The other states’ laws are prospective, affecting only alleged abuse occurring after passage of the legislation.

As to the possible resolution of some of the sexual abuse cases that gave rise to the bill, Mr. Culhane said, "I’m not part of the process, but I believe there is an effort to talk about these issues."