BOSTON — For decades, Jim Scanlan carried a secret he said he could not bring himself to say out loud.
“I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse,” Scanlan said.
It took him 38 years to publicly identify himself that way.
Scanlan said he was sexually abused as a student at Boston College High School in the 1970s by James Talbot, a Jesuit priest, teacher, and hockey coach.
“So, my abuser was a Jesuit priest at Boston College High School. His name was James Talbot,” Scanlan said.
Scanlan played hockey at the school and said Talbot invited certain boys to participate in additional training sessions in a basement room.
“It was street fighting. We fought each other. We were in jock straps. As strange as that felt, others were doing it. It was some of the toughest kids in the school,” Scanlan told Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh.
“And you thought it was like you were one of the cool kids,” he added.
When asked whether it felt special to be part of the select group, Scanlan responded: “You’ve got the tap on the shoulder, that’s exactly right.”
Scanlan said the group met after school and on some Saturday mornings. One Saturday, he said he arrived and found himself alone with Talbot.
“That day, he said, you and I will fight. That’s when he pinned me and raped me,” Scanlan said.
Scanlan said Talbot threatened him afterward.
“He said you tell anyone I’m gonna spread rumors about you and say you did it to me and tell you that you’re gay and he used very strong derogatory terms about gays,” Scanlan said.
According to Scanlan, the abuse first occurred in 1977. He said he did not speak publicly about it until 2002, when he talked with a reporter at the Boston Globe and eventually with Boston police.
Scanlan’s abuser was later convicted and served time in prison. Talbot died in 2025.
Talbot was eventually transferred to another state when allegations against him survived. That paused the clock on the statute of limitations.
So, Scanlan’s case was able to move forward, but advocates say many other survivors face legal barriers because of Massachusetts’ civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims.
Under current law, civil claims are capped when a survivor turns 53 years old, a limit that Scanlan, other survivors and advocates argue is arbitrary.
“It is a hundred percent meaningless,” Scanlan said. “And that’s what the grooming process wants,” he said. “It’s a lifelong punishment, and it doesn’t go away.”
Scanlan is now pushing lawmakers to eliminate that limit.
Jessica Schidlow, senior policy analyst and legislative counsel at Enough Abuse, said research shows many survivors wait decades before disclosing abuse.
“We know now after decades of social science research that survivors of child sexual abuse delay disclosure. Certainly, by decades for many,” Schidlow said.
“We need to give survivors the opportunity to come forward when they’re ready,” she said.
“Whether that’s at 23, whether it’s at 53, whether it’s at 85.”
A bill currently before a conference committee on Beacon Hill would eliminate time limits and the age cutoff for future child sexual abuse lawsuits. The proposal would also create a two-year window allowing survivors with previously expired claims to file lawsuits and would remove the $20,000 charitable immunity cap on damages.
Supporters say the changes are necessary not only to provide justice for survivors, but also to protect children in the future.
Asked what he would tell lawmakers considering the proposal, Scanlan’s answer was direct.
“Pass the Amendment 110,” he said.
He argued the legislation would lead institutions to change how they respond to abuse allegations.
“It will change behavior. Monetary consequences change corporate institutional behavior,” Scanlan said.
Scanlan says consider what he heard during his abuser’s parole hearing when asked about the number of victims he violated.
“And I remind you, he’s trying for parole, and said 89,” Scanlan said.
For Scanlan, the legislation is about both accountability and prevention.
“Validation for the survivors,” he said, “but protection for kids in the future.”
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