The Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal left a deep bruise not just on Pennsylvania but on the nation as a whole regarding the treatment of children.
Perhaps the best we can hope for in the aftermath of the tragedy is a raised consciousness toward the problem that brings about change.
That appears to have happened.
The Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection recently recommended rewriting state law, redefining what constitutes child abuse and expanding the list of people who are required to report suspected abuse.
Specifically, the task force is proposing a transformation in the way information concerning child abuse is handled and maintained, the way in which crimes against children are investigated and the way in which those with responsibility for the well-being of children are trained.
The recommendations would require bills from the state Legislature to make them law.
But Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi praised the report and said he expected some bill to move to the governor early in the session that begins now.
The changes can't take away the pain of those who have suffered from child abuse in the Sandusky case and countless others.
But those victims can at least take some solace in knowing their anguish at least was balanced to some small degree with changes that will prevent similar abuse in the future.
