Contact your Representative
The State of Wisconsin has some of the most prohibitive statutes in the United States for victims of child sexual abuse. A loophole in the mandatory reporting law allows clergy to not report allegations of child sexual abuse if the information is relayed in private communications. This exemption effectively amounts to no reporting requirement at all for individuals employed by faith-based organizations. The Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act would eliminate this loophole.
Child sexual abuse is one of the most under-reported crimes in the United States. Victims often take decades to disclose the crimes, and Wisconsin’s civil statute of limitations only gives victims until the age of 35 to file a suit. The Child Victims Act would eliminate the civil statute of limitations entirely for child sexual abuse, allowing survivors access to Wisconsin’s court system when they are ready to come forward to seek justice.
Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced proposals for both laws, but they have not yet been successful in getting the laws passed in the Wisconsin legislature. We are asking you to take action by contacting your representatives and request they co-sponsor both the Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act and the Child Victims Act.
The following is a sample message to your representative:
To Representative (Insert Name Here)
I am contacting you on behalf of Nate Lindstrom and his family. Nate’s childhood was stolen from him when he was abused by Norbertine priests as a teenager attending Notre Dame Academy in De Pere, Wisconsin. He took his life last spring after St. Norbert Abbey abruptly discontinued payments intended to support his mental health treatment stemming from abuse that occurred on their watch. Because of Wisconsin’s short civil statute of limitations for child sex crimes, Nate was forced to seek help from the Norbertines, the organization whose priests and administrators groomed him, abused him, and intimidated him into silence.
The basic and fundamental protections of the law must guarantee justice to society’s most vulnerable. Child sexual abuse is one of the most underreported crimes in the United States. The effects of sexual violence have no time limit - neither should the statutes on child sex crimes. It often takes years for an individual suffering from the life-altering trauma of sexual violence to come forward to seek justice. The law needs to be there when they do.
The Child Victims Act is the most comprehensive and effective legislation to enact these reforms. This legislation would eliminate the civil statute of limitations on child sex abuse and allow a three-year window in which victims barred by the current statutes could file civil suits.
Wisconsin has some of the nation’s most prohibitive statutes for child sex abuse victims. In addition to the short civil statute of limitations, a loophole in state law allows clergy an exemption from reporting allegations of child sexual abuse. This exemption has allowed the church to harbor sexual predators with impunity. The Clergy Mandatory Reporting Act would eliminate this exemption.
Too often, when it comes to sexual violence, the law protects the wrong person. Child predators and the institutions that knowingly harbor them must be held accountable. I am asking you to add your name as a co-sponsor of the Child Victims Act and the Clergy Mandatory Reporting Act.
Thank you,
Your Name Here
If you aren’t sure who your representatives are, use the link below to find their names and contact information.
Tips for Emails
It’s important to let your representatives’s office know you are their constituent. If you don’t live in their district anymore, it would be helpful to make your connection to the Lindstrom family or the St. Norbert Abbey known.
This is just a sample message - it does not need to be copied and pasted. In fact, it is best if it is not! Please add your own thoughts, experiences, and connections to the Abbey, the Catholic Church, or Lindstrom family if you have them. Unfortunately, many “form letters” get ignored or discarded, so a personalized email or letter goes a long way.
What Next?
Post to social media! Let your friends, family, and followers know that you emailed your representative’s office and ask them to do the same. Use the hashtag #IBelieveNate and tag Nate’s Mission on Facebook and Twitter.
Call, text, or email your close friends and family in Wisconsin. Ask them to send a message on behalf of Nate and his family.
Persistence is key. If you don’t get a response, send a follow up message or call the office.