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Some victims of childhood sexual abuse would have one more year to file lawsuits against private or nonprofit organizations that protected their suspected abusers under a California bill that passed a key legislative committee on Aug. 21 and is now on its way to a vote before the full assembly. The National Center for Victims of Crime, which sponsored the bill, and other supporters say victims might take years to acknowledge that they were molested. The Catholic Church has vigorously lobbied against the measure. “It discriminates against victims of child sexual abuse,” Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, said in a statement. “It discriminates against private and nonprofit organizations like the church. It continues to protect public schools and government workers from lawsuits filed by victims and it even prevents victims from suing their actual abuser.” Changes approved by the California legislature in 2009 increased the statute of limitations for abuse claims against public entities.

This article appears in September 9-16 2013.