By AP/KWMU
Springfield, ILL. – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Tuesday signed three measures into law withthe aim of helping domestic violence victims.
One new law gives people who are beaten or raped because of their gender more time to come forward and sue their attackers in civil court. It extends the statute of limitations from two years to seven.
Supporters says victims need longer to take court action because they often need years of therapy to understand and come to terms with what happened to them.
Another measure allows prosecutors to use a domestic violence victim's previous statements as testimony against an attacker if the victim is too scared to testify at a trial.
The third and final measure signed excludes probation as a possible penalty for someone convicted of rape if the victim was a family member.