State lawmakers are killing a bill that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations on child sex crimes against entities.
Proponents of the bill say it would give many Native Americans who were sexually abused in Catholic boarding schools a chance to seek justice.
House Bill 1269 provides a two-year window to bring claims of child sexual abuse against entities by lifting a statute of limitations. The bill failed.
State Representative Jon Hansen is a Republican from Sioux Falls and voted against the bill. He says statutes of limitations are in place because the body of evidence for a case shrinks overtime.
“Imagine your congregation having to defend a claim where the alleged perpetrator is dead,” Hanson says. “And all the church members today are now different than they were at the time of the alleged offense. Why should we hold those people liable for an act which they had nothing to do with.”
Some survivors who allege they experienced sexual abuse in boarding schools from the 1950’s and 60’s are still alive, and have brought claims against the Catholic church. Those claims were thrown out in 2010 when the state legislature imposed a statute of limitations on child sex crimes brought against entities.
Republican Representative Tamara St. John is Dakota and represents District 1, which encompasses the Sisseton-Wahpeton reservation. She’s the prime sponsor of the bill. St. John says the bill is not about attacking the church.
“Somebody has to be responsible for shielding individuals that have perpetrated these things,” St. John says. “I know that, bottom line, the goal is to ensure that we are protecting our children and that we are sending a message out there that this won’t be tolerated.”
St. John says it’s unfortunate that actions taken by members of the Catholic boarding school system in the past have alienated a generation of people who would have otherwise had faith.
