Don't Shield Churches from Abuse Liability!

I urge the Missouri Legislature to stop proposing bills that favor religious organizations over Missouri's residents. I strongly oppose SB706 (Hudson) and HB753 (Mayhew), which gives civil immunity to religious organizations and churches for their internal communications discussing reports of sexual harassment and abuse by individuals in their group. These churches and organizations should not be immune to liability for the sexual abuse occurring within their ranks when they are shown to know about the abuse and the abusers and have a track record of communicating internally about it. They should be required to immediately report any such abuse they are aware of to law enforcement. This abuse is often taking place on vulnerable children and these organizations must be held accountable for that abuse, not shielded from any repercussions. I urge you to oppose these bills and any similar bills that favor religious organizations over Missourians.