September 1, 2004

(Sacramento, CA)  Openly lesbian California Senator Sheila Keuhl (D) authored and is promoting Senate Bill 1313 in the State of California .  This bill has gotten past both houses of the Democratically controlled California State Legislature and is on its way to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk for signature.  SB 1313 drastically reduces the requirements for mandatory reporting of the known or suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children.  Critics are calling this bill the “Pedophile Protection Act.”

Under existing criminal law, all persons who regularly come into contact with children are required to report any instance where there is reason to believe that a child has been molested or abused.  Typical mandatory reporters include pastors, priests, church volunteers, teachers, school volunteers, and medical personnel.  Incredibly, SB1313 would completely eliminate mandatory reporting for anyone who can be characterized as a “volunteer.”  For example, if a Sunday school teacher knew that her pastor was molesting a child, she would not be required to report.  For obvious reasons, this could give vast protection to the Catholic Church who has been under fire for failing to report and address sexual molestation of children under its control.  If SB1313 passes, thousands of victims of past and continuing sexual abuse may go unnoticed.  SB1313 also eliminates mandatory reporting in cases where children are having sex with each other, and severe emotional abuse many no longer be a reportable event at all.

Richard D. Ackerman, Vice-President of Legal Affairs for the Pro-Family Law Center in Southern California , and a survivor of severe physical and sexual abuse, states, “This is a reprehensible act by Sheila Keuhl.  The one common denominator among civilized persons is the ability to rally around the protection of our children.  Even one case of unreported abuse has the potential to begin a generational cycle of continuing abuse, and could even result in the death of a child.  This bill appears to be the work of abortionists and others who ply in the trade of promoting sex among children.”  Ackerman, while working for the United States Justice Foundation, had successfully persuaded the California Attorney General’s office to issue a written opinion to the California Medical Board, within the last two years, that affirmed the requirement of reporting for all persons who come into regular contact with children as part of the person’s professional duties.  The report followed a petition by more than 10,000 people demanding that the Attorney General protect children and require reporting.

The issue was given national coverage by the O’Reilly Factor, WorldNetDaily.com and other national media outlets following the presentation of evidence that Planned Parenthood had seen over 30,000 children in California, and that not one instance of reporting to law enforcement could be found.  State-required demographic data provided by Planned Parenthood to the State of California demonstrated that the volunteers and paid staff of Planned Parenthood had seen children ages 6 and under for sexually transmitted disease treatment.  Ackerman and others could not find a single report coming from Planned Parenthood to any law enforcement agency concerning these children.  SB1313 also seeks to make unavailable any reports of abuse, even if the reports are redacted.  In other words SB1313 prevents the public from even knowing if reporting is taking place.  The fact that sexual abuse reporting is not taking place in California abortion clinics and elsewhere is well documented by the objective investigation of Life Dynamics, Inc., in Denton, Texas.  The findings of LDI can be found at www.ChildPredator.com.

Ackerman is urging “all persons of good conscience” to write to Governor Schwarzennegger and to urge him to veto this bill.  According to Ackerman, “no child deserves to be closeted in the darkness of sexual abuse.  SB1313 guarantees a blind eye to the plight of thousands of children.  If even one child is abused or dies because of the failure to report by a clinic, church or school, that child’s blood is on the hands of Sheila Keuhl and the people who sneaked behind the media’s back to get this sickly legislation passed.”