Well, here we go again—another blue-state crusade to show the rest of the country just how little they care for those pesky constitutional protections the rest of us still hold dear. This time it’s Washington State, and they’ve outdone themselves with Senate Bill 5375, a piece of legislation that’s so tone-deaf to the First Amendment it might as well come with a disclaimer: “Warning: Contents may violate your religious liberty.”
Signed by Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson—whose enthusiasm for bulldozing over religious rights is matched only by his obliviousness to constitutional law—this bill is a direct strike at the heart of religious freedom. It forces clergy to report suspected child abuse, even when that information is gained through confession. Not just any conversation, mind you, but religious confession—the very sacred act that, for centuries, has existed as a cornerstone of faith practice, particularly in the Catholic Church.
But apparently, if you’re a Democrat in Washington State, conscience is optional and faith is disposable. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Noel Frame of Seattle (of course), made that pretty clear. “You never put somebody’s conscience above the protection of a child,” she said, with all the moral certitude of someone who’s never read the Bill of Rights. As if the only choices here are either letting abusers roam free or gutting the First Amendment. Newsflash: there’s a middle ground that respects both child safety and religious freedom, but that would require actual collaboration and respect for belief systems—two things that appear to be in short supply in Olympia these days.
And let’s not gloss over the selective outrage. This bill doesn’t just suggest new guidelines or partnerships with religious institutions. It doesn’t propose new standards of accountability that clergy could work with in good faith. No, it singles out clergy, specifically targeting the very act of confession. You know—the same confession that Catholic doctrine forbids priests from violating under any circumstance. This isn’t just a policy decision. It’s a message: Obey the state, or suffer the consequences.
Now, thankfully, someone in the federal government still remembers the Constitution. The Department of Justice, under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, has stepped in and opened an investigation into the law’s constitutionality. And let’s be honest—it’s about time. As Dhillon pointed out, the law appears to deny clergy the same privilege protections afforded to other mandatory reporters. Translation: it’s religious discrimination wearing a halo of “protect the children” rhetoric.
The Justice Department announces First Amendment investigation into Washington State’s new anti-Catholic law, Senate Bill 5375
🔗: https://t.co/bXGLhNPI90 pic.twitter.com/y5Y4m8qCnU
— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) May 5, 2025
And yes, before someone screams about the Church’s track record, let’s just say it—no one is defending past abuses or the way they were handled. They were horrific, and accountability is essential. But government overreach isn’t the solution. The road to reform in any faith tradition must be led by the faithful, not by bureaucrats and politicians with a checklist and a god complex. You don’t fix moral failure by undermining religious freedom. You just trade one form of abuse for another—this time by the state.
What makes this even more dangerous is the precedent. If the government can now decide that centuries-old religious sacraments are null and void when they clash with modern politics, where does it stop? Worship services deemed too “exclusive”? Faith-based hiring practices outlawed as “discriminatory”? Religious speech rebranded as “hate speech”? This isn’t a hypothetical. It’s a roadmap—and Washington just took the first exit ramp.
In response to Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signing Senate Bill 5375, which requires priests to break the seal of confession, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane affirmed that clergy in his diocese remain committed to preserving the sanctity of the sacrament—even if it means going… pic.twitter.com/PhedtC3d21
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) May 4, 2025
This is not about Catholics. This is about everyone. This is about Jews, Muslims, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and anyone else who believes that the Constitution means what it says. The First Amendment doesn’t carve out a special exception for “when the state feels like it.” It is not a relic. It’s a guardrail.
If Washington State can trample that guardrail today, then tomorrow it’s your church, your synagogue, your mosque in the crosshairs. And make no mistake—other progressive strongholds are watching, ready to follow suit. That’s why the DOJ’s probe is only the beginning. It’s going to take voters, courts, churches, and citizens standing up and reminding this country’s so-called leaders that religious liberty isn’t optional. It’s non-negotiable.
Because if the government can rewrite sacraments, it can rewrite anything. And that’s a future we all have a moral duty to stop.
