July 27 could have been a landmark day for the survivors of child abuse.
That was the day that Washington state’s new law designating clergy as mandatory reporters — even if the abuse was discovered during confession or spiritual counseling — was set to take effect. Just as teachers, childcare workers, and law enforcement officers must report knowledge of child abuse, Washington became the first state in the nation to mandate that all clergy must do so as well.
But just 72 hours after Washington’s governor signed the law, the Seattle Archdiocese, along with Yakima and Spokane, filed a federal lawsuit to stop it.
Predictably, Donald Trump has now joined the fray. His Department of Justice is backing the Catholic clergy’s lawsuit, falsely claiming that mandatory reporting laws infringe on religious liberty and are inherently “anti-Catholic.” Now, a Federal judge has blocked the law — maintaining a status quo where clergy can…
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