Page 3 - aruba-today-20220822

A3
U.S. NEWS Monday 22 august 2022

Protesters demand Utah require clergy to report sex abuse

By SAM METZ estimated two-thirds of resi-
Associated Press dents as members and re-
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Sur- lies on volunteers to serve
vivors and faith leaders ral- as clergy members.
lied Friday at the Utah State Rep. Angela Romero, a
Capitol to demand change Democrat whose efforts to
to a state law that exempts end the exemption stalled
religious leaders from re- in 2020, said Friday that she
quirements that they report remained committed to
child sexual abuse brought changing the law.
to their attention in spiritual "I'm tired of making excuses
confessions. for perpetrators," she said,
"If we as a people, as noting that her push had
churches and as a state recently won support from
are failing to protect our Latter-day Saint Republi-
children, then we are fail- cans.
ing," Lindsey Lundholm, the In addition to Romero and
rally's organizer, told an au- survivors, Friday's rally also
dience of more than 100 in included a rabbi and for-
Salt Lake City that included mer Latter-day Saints bish-
survivors of abuse applaud- op. Stuart Smith, the bishop,
ing while tears streamed said clergy could benefit
down their faces. from clear abuse reporting
Lundholm spoke of her first- guidelines.
hand experience of abuse "Such a requirement, codi-
growing up in Idaho as a Protesters gather on the steps of the Utah State Capitol, at a rally to gain support for removing the fied in state law, may have
clergy exemption from mandatory reporting in cases of abuse and neglect, on Friday, Aug. 19,
member of The Church 2022 in Salt Lake City. the additional benefit of
of Jesus Christ of Latter- Associated Press allowing the helpline for
day Saints. As a young girl bishops now operated by
and member of the faith after an Associated Press ing abuse brought to their In Arizona, church attor- the LDS church to better
widely known as the Mor- investigation found the attention of children as neys are attempting to use perform its stated purpose
mon church, she said she church's abuse reporting young as 5 years old. clergy-penitent privilege to — which is to provide ex-
told a local bishop about system can be misused by Since its publication, the limit what its officials have pertise and resources to
her abuse and instead of church leaders to divert church has criticized the to answer questions about help the victims of abuse,"
reporting it to law enforce- abuse accusations away story as flawed. In a state- in a lawsuit that accuses he said.q
ment, the bishop guided from law enforcement ment this week, its repre- them of conspiring to cov-
her abuser to seek forgive- torneys who may bury the "has everything to do with judge ruled this week that ARUBA
sentatives said the help line er-up child sex abuse. A
and instead to church at-
ness from God.
Lundholm's story was one problem, leaving victims in protecting children and church officials had to an- CLEAN
of many shared on the harm's way. has nothing to do with cov- swer questions.
steps of the Capitol, which The AP story, based on er-up," but did not dispute Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
stands on a hill above the sealed records and court any of the story's facts. and lawmakers from differ-
church headquarters and cases filed in Arizona and Utah is among more than ent faith backgrounds and
its Salt Lake Temple. Other West Virginia, uncovered a 20 states with similar laws both sides of the aisle have
women also shared their host of concerns that vic- that give reporting excep- recently come out in sup-
stories and read aloud writ- tims have raised about the tions to clergy who receive port of changing the state
ten accounts collected for helpline. information about child ne- law exempting clergy from
the demonstration, using Those include how church glect or sexual abuse dur- mandatory reporting. But
them to demand lawmak- officials have cited ex- ing spiritual confessions. The such a law could face an
ers require clergy report emptions to mandatory exemptions do not extend uphill battle in Utah, where
abuse when it's confessed reporting laws, so-called to therapists, doctors or any the church commands IS MORE
to them. clergy-penitent privilege, other adult known to offer sizeable cultural and po- DUSHI
The rally comes two weeks as an excuse for not report- confidential counsel. litical influence, counts an