Model Secular Policy Guide.pdf

child abuse and maltreatment. 52 In approximately 18 states, any person who suspects child abuse orneglect is required to report it. 53About 27 states currently include members of the clergy among those professionals specificallymandated by law to report known or suspected instances of child abuse or neglect. 54 Eight states andthe District of Columbia do not require that clergy report known or suspected instances of child abuseor harm. Only nine states explicitly include Christian Science practitioners among classes of clergyrequired to report. This is an important fact because of the role faith healing can play in the medicalneglect of children.POLICY RECOMMENDATIONWhile the confidentiality of pastoral communications is well recognized, due to the uniqueand vulnerable position of children and the recent history of abuse of this pastoral privilege,religious communication must not be exempted from mandatory child abuse reporting statutes.Recovery ProgramsAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been providing alcohol recovery services for eighty-plus years and haslong been the recommended solution for individuals with an alcohol-dependency problem.AA originally sprang from a Christian religiousmovement called “The Oxford Group,” andAA (and programs based on its model) use“higher power” imagery in its 12-step programmodel that can be alienating for nontheists andnegatively impact their recovery. In fact, courtorderedAA is a violation of the EstablishmentPrinciple. 55AA has benefitted many individuals, providingrecovery programs vital to achieving individualbehavior change. However, offering choice in recovery is important not only from a legal standpoint,but because research has shown that allowing choice in recovery programs results in enhancedoutcomes – especially when the program is selected based on the individual’s needs and beliefs.All 12-step programs have been judged “pervasively religious” in every federal appeals court and statesupreme court that has reviewed pertinent cases. Recovery programs offered or permitted by the22