How the Help Line Works
When an LDS bishop or other leader learns of abuse — through confession, a parent's report, or direct disclosure from a child — the Church's General Handbook instructs them to call the abuse help line before contacting law enforcement. The help line is answered by attorneys at Kirton McConkie, the Church's outside counsel. The attorneys advise the leader on whether local mandatory reporting laws require disclosure to authorities. In states where clergy-penitent privilege applies, leaders have been advised they are not legally required to report — even when they know a child is in ongoing danger.
The Legal Risk Management Function
The help line was established in 1995 — not as a child protection resource, but as a risk management tool following a period of significant abuse-related litigation against the Church. Lawsuits and investigative reporting have established that the help line's primary purpose is to assess and minimize the Church's legal exposure. Leaders who call are advised by attorneys whose client is the Church, not the children at risk. There is an inherent conflict of interest built into the system's design.
Documented Cases Where the System Failed
Court filings, the Associated Press investigation, and congressional testimony have documented specific cases where the help line's advice allowed abuse to continue. In one West Virginia case, a bishop called the help line after learning a member was sexually abusing his own daughters. The help line attorneys advised the bishop he was not required to report. The abuse continued for years. In multiple other documented cases, the pattern repeats: leader calls help line, attorneys advise no legal obligation to report, abuse continues, additional children are harmed.
Congressional and Legal Scrutiny
The help line has attracted congressional attention, with lawmakers questioning whether the system violates federal laws related to child protection. Multiple states have introduced legislation to close the clergy-penitent privilege loopholes that the help line relies upon. Former help line participants — bishops and other leaders who called the line — have provided testimony in civil cases about the advice they received.
Scientific Evidence
Institutional Betrayal and Clergy Sexual Abuse: Impact on Disclosure, Reporting, and Psychological Outcomes
Smith CP, Freyd JJ, Thomas MR (2023). Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Key Findings
- Survivors who experienced institutional betrayal (e.g., Church concealment of abuse, victim-blaming by leaders) had PTSD symptom severity scores 2.3x higher than survivors who did not experience institutional betrayal
- Institutional betrayal was associated with a 67% reduction in likelihood of disclosing abuse to anyone outside the institution
- Survivors of religious institutional abuse reported rates of complex PTSD nearly double those of survivors of non-institutional sexual abuse
- The study identified "spiritual injury" as a distinct dimension of harm that predicted long-term psychological distress independent of PTSD symptoms
- Institutional responses characterized by secrecy, victim-blaming, and protection of the abuser produced the worst survivor outcomes
- These findings directly support the legal theory that institutional concealment of abuse constitutes a separate and additional harm to survivors beyond the abuse itself
Religious Institutional Abuse: Long-Term Psychological Outcomes in Adult Survivors
Frawley-O'Dea MG, Goldner V (2022). Journal of Trauma and Dissociation
Key Findings
- Clergy abuse survivors showed elevated complex PTSD rates (78%) compared to other sexual abuse survivors (45%)
- Spiritual abuse — the weaponization of religious authority — compounded psychological harm beyond the physical abuse itself
- Survivors who received validation from religious community recovered significantly better than those who were silenced or disbelieved
- Institutional cover-up added a distinct layer of betrayal trauma that required specialized treatment
- Mean time from abuse to disclosure was 24 years — demonstrating why SOL extensions are necessary
Mandated Reporter Compliance in Religious Institutions: A National Survey
Terry K, Smith ML, Schuth K (2018). Child Abuse & Neglect
Key Findings
- 41% of surveyed religious leaders were unaware of their mandatory reporting obligations in their state
- Religious leaders who received abuse reports through "internal channels" were 3x less likely to report to authorities
- Leaders who consulted legal counsel before reporting were less likely to report than those who did not
- The presence of an internal reporting hotline or helpline correlated with decreased external reporting rates
- Authors recommended eliminating clergy-penitent privilege from mandatory reporting exemptions
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Bishop Interview Abuse
For decades, LDS Church policy allowed — and in some cases required — one-on-one private interviews between male bishops and minor children, often including sexually explicit questions. Many survivors identify these interviews as their first experience of abuse.
Mission Abuse Claims
LDS missions place young adults — many under 20 — under the near-total authority of mission presidents in foreign countries, creating conditions where abuse can occur with minimal oversight or accountability.
Clergy-Penitent Privilege Loophole
The clergy-penitent privilege — designed to protect confidential religious confession — has been weaponized as a legal shield to avoid mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in states that recognize broad clergy exemptions.
LDS Church Abuse Lawsuit
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) faces mounting lawsuits from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy, leaders, and members. At the center of the litigation is the Church's internal "help line" — a hotline staffed by attorneys that, according to lawsuits, was used to manage legal liability rather than protect children. Survivors allege the Church systematically failed to report abuse to authorities, moved known abusers to new congregations, and discouraged victims from going to police.
View full case overview