Sex abuse education bill nears passage in Springfield
Measure would enact recommendations of Erin’s Law task force in elementary and middle schools statewide
(CHICAGO TRIBUNE) – Erin Merryn has had an eventful fall.
In October, Glamour Magazine chose her as one of its 10 Women of the Year. She finished her third book — all it needs now is a title — and most recently got engaged when her boyfriend proposed on Black Friday.
“I never thought I would find a man (whom) I could trust,” she said. “It was easier for me to love somebody than to trust them.”
At 27, Merryn still thinks about the men who raped and molested her as a child. It’s her passion for fighting child sex abuse that led to her other major achievement this fall: Nearly three years after she launched a nonstop campaign against what she calls a “silent epidemic,” Illinois lawmakers appear poised to pass a bill aimed at teaching children about sex abuse.
