A bill to change state law to allow adults who were victims of child sex abuse to sue those who abused them or the institutions that did not prevent their abuse from occurring appears to be moving forward.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-3 to advance the legislation and, for the first time, some prominent Republicans in the legislative body are showing support.

If passed, the bill could provide at least some measure of justice for the survivors of child sex abuse who have shown great courage in coming forward.

The bill comes after years of investigations into child sex abuse by clergy in the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses. A similar piece of legislation passed the state House earlier this month. Many childhood victims of sexual assault lost the ability to sue in the state when they turned age 18, depending on state laws at the time.

Under the latest bill, victims would have two years from the time of the legislation’s passage to sue over alleged abuse, no matter how long ago it occurred. The bill would not only cover those assaulted by clergy, but also by coaches, public school teachers, relatives, youth group leaders and others.

The rationale to support the bill is pretty obvious: Many victims don’t come forward for years, and some never do.

There are a variety of reasons for this — according to psychologists, victims might unfairly blame themselves or not even realize that what happened to them when they were younger would be classified as abuse.

In other instances, victims might be afraid of possible repercussions for coming forward or be threatened by those who abused them. And in some cases, victims haven’t yet come to terms with their experience and feel reluctant about making it public.

Whatever the reason, no one can tell a person who has been abused when the right time is to address their trauma.

In the past, some state legislators have argued that legislation to allow child sex abuse victims to sue their abusers years after the fact is unconstitutional. Such bills were also often opposed by Roman Catholic bishops and insurance companies.

But in the wake of widespread investigations in recent years regarding the abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, times have changed.

We’re glad to see this bill moving forward in the state legislature and hope it finds the support it deserves.

— NCD