FIC Blog

State Victim Advocate James Papillo’s term of office ends this month and the Courant confirms that he “probably would not have been reappointed even if he had wanted to stay.” From the Courant story:

Papillo’s outspokenness on one issue, in particular, gained him negative attention from many who felt that he had overstepped his bounds – and political sources say that it might have doomed any chances he had for reappointment.

In March 2006, Papillo, an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, appeared at a legislative hearing and spoke out against a proposed law that would have required the state’s four Catholic hospitals to offer the so-called Plan B emergency contraception pill to all rape victims.

Lt. Gov. Kevin B. Sullivan immediately called on Papillo to resign, saying that his testimony violated his oath of office. Rell called Papillo’s comments “inappropriate” and “far beyond the bounds of victim advocacy.”

“Mr. Papillo knows he must not cross the line again between his personal beliefs and the interests of those for whom he advocates,” Rell said at the time.

Papillo said then that his opposition to Plan B had nothing to do with his religion. He told legislators that his office had never received a complaint from a rape victim who was denied access to emergency contraception. He said that the Plan B issue obscured the real needs of victims, including the need for more money for counseling and more victim advocates.

Papillo also said that the strong reaction to his testimony was politically driven, and that his office was independent and not going to be a “puppet” of any authority, including the state legal system or the legislature.

From my March 7, 2006 blog on Papillo’s testimony:

Activists for the bill are quoted questioning the “motivation” of Papillo’s testimony and the AP responds by noting that he is a gubernatorial appointee, when his term expires and what his salary is. We can likely expect future pro-abortion efforts to remove from office this man who has so bravely spoken the politically incorrect truth in a place where such forthrightness is frowned upon.

The very hour I posted that item the story broke that then-Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan, who is pro-abortion, had called for Papillo’s resignation. FIC Action responded with a rally in support of Papillo and Sullivan withdrew his attack. But–considering the items I noted in the AP’s initial coverage of Papillo’s 2006 testimony–the end of Papillo’s victim advocacy is not surprising.

Our opponents exploited victims of heinous crimes in order to force Catholic hospitals to provide chemical abortions and almost no one in state government had the courage to call them on it–almost no one. State Victim Advocate James Papillo’s time in public service leaves a “profile in courage” for a state government where courage has not been the order of the day.