Sister Maureen Paul Turlish is a member of the Child Victims Voice Coalition of Delaware (www.childvictimsvoice.com) and a founding member of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (http://www.nsacoalition.org).  She has testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees in support of Senate Bill 29 which was signed into Delaware law on July 10, 2007 and has been actively involved in advocating for legislative reform on the state level since 2002.  Below is the letter she recently sent on behalf of House Bill 1523. 

Robert DeLeo
Speaker of the House of Representatives
State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133  

May 25, 2010  

Dear Speaker DeLeo,  

I am a member of the Child Victims Voice Coalition of Delaware
(www.childvictimsvoice.com) and a founding member of the National Survivor
Advocates Coalition (http://www.nsacoalition.org).   I am also on the steering
committees of the Philadelphia and Delaware affiliates of the national group,
Voice of the Faithful (www.votfgp.org) and a board member of DACOA, the Delaware
Association for Children of Alcoholics (www.dacoa.org).

I testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees in support of
Senate Bill 29 which was signed into Delaware law on July 10, 2007 and have been
actively involved in advocating for legislative reform on the state level since
2002 and I strongly urge you to support Massachusetts House bill 1523 which will
better protect all the children of the Commonwealth.   

I have spoken recently on National Public Radio on the importance of giving no
accommodation in law to any religious denomination or non-profit institution
that does more to enable, shield or protect known sexual predators than to
childhood victims of sexual abuse  by anyone.  

http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2010/04/12/holding-clergy-and-church-leaders-legally-accountable-for-child-abuse/  


There simply are no arguments compelling enough to persuade good people to
oppose legislation whose goal is to hold sexual predators accountable and allow
victims of childhood sexual abuse the access to justice which is their right as
citizens.   

The sexual exploitation of children is a major epidemic in our United States. 
One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18
whether that abuse is committed by a parent, teacher, doctor, rabbi, priest, nun
or stranger.  

It is a heinous and reprehensible crime against the body and soul of a child
with serious and long lasting effects.  Unfortunately, a significant percentage
of individuals injured in this way cannot cope with some of these effects and
take their own lives.  I have met parents whose sons were sexually abused. 
Those parents lost their sons because their adult children could not get over
it, could not get on with their lives and ended up taking their own lives.  

Such crimes are committed by individuals from all segments of society and they
all cry out to God for justice.  

Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, Maryland described sexual abuse as murder
of the soul and it truly is.  It is fitting therefore, that there be no statutes
of limitation, criminally or civilly, in regard to the sexual abuse of children,
no matter who the perpetrators may be or what positions they may hold.  Child
abuse is the act of a coward bent on exercising his or her power and control
over a helpless and pliant child.  

The egregious and heinous crime that childhood sexual is should propel those of
us in public service and church ministry to do all we can to protect our
children and hold those accountable who would shelter and protect the sexual
predators who would harm them, no matter the cost in institutional reputation or
credibility.  

Leaders of religious organizations in a number of states are mounting strong
opposition to any changes in states statutes of limitation regarding the sexual
abuse of children. 

Such behavior by any religious group is outrageous and reprehensible. 

There are no reasons and no extenuating circumstances that could ever justify or
rationalize any institution, public or private, or any religious denomination,
not actively supporting attempts to bring childhood sexual abuse legislation
into the 21st century.  

Window legislation is not anti any particular group but it is very much
pro-child.  It forces records, if they exist and have not been destroyed, to be
made available in a court of justice and hopefully into the public venue as
well.  

Arbitrary statutes of limitation have protected sexual predators and enabling
institutions for too long.  It is time they were removed.  Delaware now has no
statutes of limitation, criminally or civilly, in regard to childhood sexual
abuse and our 2007 Child Victims Law also opened a two year window for bringing
forward previously time barred cases by anyone, no matter what public, private
or religious affiliation attaches.  

The time to protect all children is now.  

House Bill 1523 is a strong bill crafted to hold all institutions, public and
private, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts accountable for their actions.  

I implore you, as a legislator in Massachusetts, to be very wary about accepting
claims made by members of any religious institution, their spokesmen or their
representatives that would attempt to connect passage of House Bill 1523 with
the closing of churches, parishes, social services or outreach programs because
it simply is not true and no denomination has produced proof that would support
the waves of disinformation that have been circulated in the media.  

Vicious opposition to the passage of any laws or the removal of any statutes of
limitation regarding childhood sexual abuse of children has been the pattern
employed by some leaders of religious institutions in a number of states
including New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado.  

There should be no accommodation in law that gives more protection to sexual
predators of children and the enablers who conspired to protect them, then to
the very real victims of childhood sexual abuse.  

In all good conscience, I strongly encourage you, as a member of the
Massachusetts Legislature, to support criminal and civil laws that are as strong
as possible in holding accountable the sexual predators of our children together
with any enabling individuals or institutions who were complicit in their
protection.  

Support House Bill 1523.  

I have spoken before the legislature in support of Delawares 2007 Child Victims
Law and I would be more then happy to testify in support of Massachusetts Child
Victims bill if it would be helpful.  

God bless you for all the work you do,
 

Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Victims Advocate
25-E Highland Blvd.
New Castle, Delaware 19720-6925