Should clergy have to report child abuse confessed to them? Utah bill would require it

A Utah bill would require clergy — just like teachers and doctors — to report child abuse and neglect to the authorities, even if it was disclosed during confessions, according to the legislation.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Angela Romero and would remove the clergy-penitent privilege that exempts clergy in some circumstances from reporting abuse. The bill says that clergy would have to report if they have “reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect, or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.”

Clergy would be required to “report the alleged abuse or neglect to the nearest peace officer, law enforcement agency, or office of the division,” the bill says.

Romero told The Salt Lake Tribune that survivors of sexual abuse have reached out to her in support of the bill.

“Their perpetrators went to confession, confided in a religious leader, and nothing ever happened,” Romero told The Salt Lake Tribune “The purpose is to get rid of the exemption and hold religious leaders to the same standard as teachers and doctors.”

Guam, New Hampshire, and West Virginia don’t exempt clergy from reporting suspected cases of child abuse, according to Child Welfare Information Gateway. North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Texas also say that “any person” is required to report when it comes to child abuse.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the main religious denomination in Utah, hasn’t decided yet whether to support or oppose the bill, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Members of the faith say that bishops direct the offender to report to the police once a crime has been confessed. Bishops are also told to call a hotline when they receive a child abuse confession in order to figure out their legal duty to report abuse.

A similar bill was considered in California but faced opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and was put on hold in July 2019 due to not having “enough support,” the Mercury News reported.

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Should clergy have to report child abuse confessed to them? Utah bill would require it."