We are parents, relatives, and friends of boys and girls who were sexually abused at the hands of priests, deacons, nuns, and other employees of the Catholic Church.

We applaud you for being here today and showing that you care about social justice.

The single most important social justice issue, we believe, is the safety of Ohio’s children.

Please join us in telling Ohio’s bishops they are wrong to oppose the most pressing and effective legislative measure to protect children: SB 17.

Please tell them that as a Catholic, you oppose them spending your donations to protect molesters and those who shield them.

What is SB 17?

* Requires clergy to report known or reasonably suspected abuse or neglect of a child by any other member of the clergy.
* Allows victims of childhood rape and sodomy to protect others at risk now by
o Locking up molesters through criminal prosecution.
o Warning parents and employers about molesters through civil courts.
* Provides confused, frightened, and traumatized victims more time to understand and recover from their deep wounds before considering legal action.
* Enables victims to access the time-tested and impartial court system to expose and remove molesters NOW by creating a period of one or two years for the filing of assault or battery actions by victims of childhood sexual abuse based on childhood sexual abuse occurring within the preceding 35 years.

We love our Church too, but we love our children more.

Statistics Show:

* Child molesters can have well over 80-100 victims in a lifetime. (The Male Survivor: The Impact of Sexual Abuse, Parynik Mendel)
* Research shows that 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually molested by the age of 18. (www.goodtouchbadtouch.com)
* 90% of child molesters are known to the child and less than 3% of all perpetrators are caught. (National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect)

Do not let your child or grandchild become a statistic. Do not let your Bishops side with child molesters and against your children.

To learn more, please contact:

Christy Miller: SNAP Cincinnati, 513-383-2198, [email protected]
Dan Frondorf: SNAP Cincinnati, 513-706-7403, [email protected]
Claudia Vercellotti: SNAP Toledo, 419-350-9234, [email protected]
Barbara Blaine: SNAP President, 312-399-4747, [email protected]