Washington state has dropped its efforts to require clergy to report child abuse or neglect when the information is revealed during the rite of confession, but left other provisions intact, ...

Officials in Washington state have agreed to back off a controversial effort to force priests there to violate the seal of confession as part of a mandatory abuse reporting law. A motion filed in ...

In May, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring clergy to report child abuse, bringing Washington in line with most of the rest of the country after previous efforts to hold church abuse ...

(The Conversation) — Two groups of clergy challenged a Washington state law meant to help fight child abuse – but which could have required clergy to break the seal of confession. (The Conversation) — ...

OLYMPIA — Clergy in Washington will remain mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, but prosecutors will not enforce the law when abuse is disclosed solely during religious confession, ...

(THE CONVERSATION) For months, a Washington state bill generated controversy over two critical interests: protecting children from abuse and protecting the freedom of religion. Signed by the governor ...