How a Mormon church 'help line' hid child sex abuse
MJ was a tiny, black-haired girl, just five years old, when her father admitted to his bishop that he was sexually abusing her and recording the assaults on video. The father worked for the U.S. Border Patrol and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was in counseling with his bishop for his obsession with pornography when he revealed the abuse. The bishop, who was also a family physician, followed policy and called what church officials have dubbed the "help line" for guidance.
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A Mormon church "help line" was created to report and stop sexual abuse. Instead, the system may bury accusations against some members, allowing abuse to persist.
Clergy in 33 states are exempt from laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report information about alleged child abuse to police or child welfare officials.
While Paul Adams can no longer physically hurt his daughter — he died by suicide in custody — the videos live on, downloaded and uploaded by child pornographers around the globe.
