Great letter supporting NY CVA!

Letter: Pass Child Victims Act to protect innocent lives

After reading Thomas B. Stebbins‘ letter (“Focus effort on preventing abuse,” April 9), I must ask: Why would the public agree to support any organization that would cover up crimes or protect sexual predators? I can’t think of a justifiable reason why a one-year civil window wouldn’t serve in the public’s best interest by exposing undetected sexual predators that may have abused numerous children over the years.

New York’s children are its most precious asset. Protecting this asset must be a legislative priority. Will eliminating the statutes for child sexual abuse cause catastrophic financial harm to some institutions or organizations because of a torrent of lawsuits? Civil litigation of these cases is a necessary evil.

Without this remedy, much of the financial burden from the devastation of child sexual abuse falls upon the taxpayers, costing billions in services that are needed by these victims. These costs should be shouldered by those responsible for the damaging effects they left their victims with.

Sexual predators have been hiding behind these archaic statutes for too long. Without affording victims of previous abuse the ability to expose their perpetrator, we do nothing to provide real-time protection to our children right now. Many of these predators may still be operating below the radar of law enforcement and can continue to abuse without detection. When California provided a window for previous victims, 300 predators were exposed that had never previously been identified.

Pass the Child Victims Act into law. Make New York safer for children, not for a few organizations or institutions lobbying against this long-overdue legislation.

Mark Lyman

Stillwater