Donald Trump administration condemned for opposing Washington child abuse law; senator says 'children will continue to suffer'
The Washington law was signed into effect by Governor Bob Ferguson in May of this year but has been beset by a number of legal challenges from religious advocacy groups, as well as local representatives of the Catholic church, who oppose it on the grounds of religious freedom.
Donald Trump's administration has made it clear it stands firmly against the Washington law as well, with Attorney General Pam Bondi launching a First Amendment probe against the legislation.
This has culminated in the DOJ formally intervening in the lawsuit between the Seattle, Spokane and Yakima Catholic dioceses against the Washington Governor's office, known as Etienne v Ferguson.
This Friday, Judge David G. Estudillo granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law's enforcement.
Advocates for stronger laws against child abuse have spoken out against this development, with Senator Noel Frame saying, 'Children will continue to suffer because religious leaders they trust are not reporting when children tell them they are being hurt.'
JUST IN: A federal judge has barred Washington state from enforcing a law that would have required priests to report evidence of child abuse learned during confession.The Trump administration had intervened on the side of the Catholic clergy.https://t.co/CkAt8urSd4 pic.twitter.com/nP2rL2tBD9
Trump's Department of Justice opposes child abuse law
Donald Trump's Department of Justice is working to invalidate Washington state's law as part of a broader conservative agenda to protect religious institutions.
Weighing in on the Etienne v Ferguson lawsuit, the DOJ claimed that the law "deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment".
A federal judge has ruled that Catholic priests in Washington state cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn about through confession after the Trump administration intervened in their favor.
Child abuse has been a recurring stain on the Catholic church's reputation ever since the church was embroiled in scandal after scandal throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Advocates of the Catholic church have claimed that the church has reformed as a consequence and can police itself, but these arguments have repeatedly been called into question in recent investigations such as the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report.
The case will likely escalate to the Supreme Court
The legal battle regarding Washington's child abuse law is likely to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Given that Donald Trump himself has appointed the majority of the Supreme Court justices, there is considerable pessimism on the law's ability to hold up to legal challenges.
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