New group targets Iowa's child sex abuse lawsuit deadline
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A new coalition of Iowa child sexual abuse survivors and allies is pushing to eliminate the state's civil statute of limitations.
Why it matters: Survivor Impact wants Iowa to allow child sexual abuse survivors to bring civil claims regardless of their age.
Zoom in: The group launched last week.
- It is co-chaired by Sally Kenney, who taught political science and women's studies at the University of Iowa, and Sarah Hedlund, a child sex abuse survivor and cohost of the "Blooming After Grooming" podcast.
State of play: At least 19 states have eliminated the time limits for filing some or all civil lawsuits over childhood sexual abuse, per the Massachusetts-based Enough Abuse.
- Survivor Impact says Iowa has one of the shortest filing windows.
Yes, but: Iowa has made progress in recent years, including eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for certain child sex abuse offenses in 2021.
- A law that took effect in July extended the civil filing deadline from one year after turning 18 to five years after turning 18 — effectively from age 19 to age 23.
- For survivors who discover later that an injury was caused by childhood sexual abuse, the law extended the filing period from four years after that discovery to five years.
Flashback: Lawmakers proposed eliminating Iowa's deadline in 2025.
- A narrow 2024 law temporarily revived claims tied to the Boy Scouts' bankruptcy.
The big picture: Sexual abuse survivors and accountability have moved to the forefront of national politics amid renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein, his associates and the government's handling of related records.
- A traveling exhibit featuring a bookmobile with publicly released records about Epstein's case was in Des Moines on Friday.
- Its reading room, a temporary exhibit displaying thousands of the records, will be in DSM from Monday to Thursday.
What's next: Survivor Impact says it plans to organize survivors and allies to speak with lawmakers ahead of the 2027 session and is seeking members.