At the end of July, a bill was passed by voice vote in the Massachusetts House expanding the time period on civil claims of child sexual abuse. The next day, an editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer called for Pennsylvania lawmakers to allow a two-year window for filing civil lawsuits in such cases. Neither of these efforts was serious about combating child sexual abuse, and both endorse discriminatory legislation.
In Massachusetts, the bill that was passed would do absolutely nothing about child sexual abuse that occurs in the public schools; it applied exclusively to private institutions, such as the Catholic Church. Similarly, the editorial in the Inquirer said absolutely nothing about blanketing the public sector; unless a bill specifically targets the sovereign immunity status of the public schools, they remain exempt.
It would never be tolerated if a lawmaker pushed for a bill that sought new ways of punishing sexual harassment in non-profit organizations, but had no application in the corporate world. The ACLU (a non-profit) would scream bloody murder. The newspapers would also chime in.
To end this posturing about the welfare of children, someone needs to introduce legislation that only targets the public sector. After the storm, we can have a serious discussion about new legislation that treats both the private and public sectors equally. As it stands now, the elites continue to perpetuate a scam.
