Sacred or profane?

The New York Times has a disturbing article in today’s mix:

Religious leaders in New York are fighting to kill legislation that would allow victims to sue more of the perpetrators who allegedly raped or molested children.

The bill now being considered in Albany would temporarily suspend the statute of limitations on such crimes.

A perennial proposal that has been quashed in past years by Republicans who controlled the State Senate, the bill is now widely supported by the new Democratic majority in that chamber, and for the first time is given a good chance of passing.

Roman Catholic and Jewish groups oppose the measure, according to the Times, as does the New York Civil Liberties Union.

“We believe this bill is designed to bankrupt the Catholic Church,” said Dennis Poust, spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference, a group representing the bishops of the state’s eight dioceses. He said that Cardinal Egan and Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn visited Albany this week to voice their opposition, and that a statewide network of Catholic parishioners had bombarded lawmakers via e-mail.

But while the Catholic Church is leading the opposition, in recent months a loose coalition of disparate groups has also joined the effort. They include leaders of the Hasidic and Sephardic Jewish institutions in Brooklyn, which could face equally costly abuse claims. The New York Civil Liberties Union and the criminal defense bar oppose lifting statutes of limitation as unfair to the accused, who must defend themselves against claims of transgressions decades old.

Critics of the legislation say it is very difficult for defendants in such lawsuits to counter claims that are sometimes decades old. What do you think? Comment below.