Legislators in North Dakota have filed a bill — Senate Bill No. 2180 — that would remove clergy members from a list of those exempt from reporting child abuse.
As it stands, if someone walks into a confessional booth and admits to molesting a child, the priest doesn’t have to do anything with that information. Just say a couple of Hail Marys and be done with it. Compare that to public school teachers, who are required by law to tell a social worker if they learn about (or suspect) a child being abused.
I was going to ask where else could crimes be allowed to go unreported, but these days, Christians seem to look for reasons to not follow certain laws in order to have an exception to the rules. Even corporations like Hobby Lobby wanted religious exceptions for not complying with the ACA. Very recently, some Christians expected religious exemptions for wearing masks in public claiming the Bible forbade it (somewhere in it).
It's good that no religious exemption exists for child abuse regardless of the religion. Victims deserve assistance as soon as they can get it, and perpetrators don't deserve absolution at the expense of the child/children the harm.
Imo, the Perpetrators deserve nothing less than the FULLEST measure of the Law with NO exceptions what-so-ever allowed or permitted.
The victim of ANY form abuse carries the abuse and memories of around with them for LIFE, it NEVER truly leaves them, not for even a second.
ALL Perpetrators DESERVE to be Named and Shamed PUBLICALLY and Internationally, bugger their so-called Right to Privacy and Anonymity, they HAVE stolen the Futures of their victims, shattered their victim/s fragile hopes and dreams of a good and enjoyable future, life, etc, etc, so WHY should they be given the rights that THEY have stolen from their victims?
And PROSCUTE the Churches that refuse to report such sickening, foul acts of Abuse to the FULLEST Extent of the Law as well.
For, ARE they NOT Accessories to the Crime/s AFTER the Fact by merely covering it/them up?
Something needs to be done about the priest doing the child sex abuse.