A survivor of sexual abuse at a Georgia Baptist university testified before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee last Wednesday in favor of a bill that would strengthen criminal accountability for clergy sexual abuse.
SB-542 would amend Georgia’s criminal code to allow clergy to be charged with certain sexual offenses when they exploit a position of spiritual authority. The bill unanimously passed Judiciary Committee following testimony from survivors and advocates. The bill will advance to the Senate Rules Committee, bringing it one step closer to a full Senate vote.
Hayle Swinson, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse at Truett McConnell University, urged lawmakers to close what advocates describe as a gap in Georgia law governing authority-based sexual exploitation.
She said this will protect adult victims who may be pressured into agreeing to sexual contact they otherwise never would engage in with trusted spiritual leaders, noting abuse in faith-based settings often begins with grooming and coercion, not physical force.
“Adult clergy sexual abuse does not begin with force — it begins with trust.”
“Adult clergy sexual abuse does not begin with force — it begins with trust,” Swinson testified. “A pastor. A mentor. A spiritual authority. Someone who says, ‘You can trust me. I am your safe place.’”
She continued, “Authority is used to groom. Scripture is twisted to justify. Isolation is normalized. Boundaries are slowly eroded. … What feels confusing and violating is reframed as obedience to God. This is not consent. This is coercion through power.”
Swinson emphasized that existing legal standards often fail to account for the dynamics of spiritual manipulation. And legislative loopholes for clergy — like those currently allowed by Georgia law — often complicate a survivor’s path to legal justice.
“When a clergy member uses spiritual authority to obtain sexual access, the power differential alone eliminates the possibility of free consent,” she testified. “After finding the courage to come forward, I realized there was no clear path to justice. This is why many survivors never report. This is why perpetrators continue. This is why the law must change. Silence protects systems, but the law is supposed to protect people.”
Swinson concluded her testimony with a direct appeal to lawmakers:
“This bill does not attack faith or religious institutions. It establishes accountability when spiritual authority is used for exploitation. The need is urgent, the stakes are high, and any delay would be demoralizing for survivors who’ve already suffered so much,” she said.
“I urge you to pass this bill — for survivors of the past, for those suffering in silence today, and for those we still have time to protect.”
Several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee publicly commended Swinson for her boldness in sharing her experience and advocating on behalf of survivors across Georgia.
“I thank you for your courage because we would not have bills like this without people like you being willing to share your story,” said Sen. Brian Strickland, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Also testifying in favor of the bill was Mike Griffin, Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, who stated he was speaking with the approval of Executive Director Thomas Hammond. He called the bill an “educational tool” that will remind people of “the responsibility we have to protect others” by holding perpetrators of abuse accountable, even when criminal charges are needed.
Griffin said Georgia Baptists “fully support this legislation,” noting “how drastic and devastating the sex abuse is that’s going on across our nation, including even in our churches.” He told lawmakers this bill is part of a long-standing effort to strengthen abuse prevention for churches and other religious institutions in Georgia.
“We believe this legislation is needed in order to educate those in our churches and institutions regarding the responsibility of maintaining protection over both minors and adults related to sex abuse,” Griffin added.
Currently, Georgia law dictates that certain individuals in authority-based relationships are not allowed to engage in sexually explicit conduct or sexual contact with individuals under their authority — even if those individuals are adults. The position of power held by the person in authority negates the other’s ability to freely consent. These individuals include people like educators, therapists, hospital staff and law enforcement officials.
This allows authority figures who abuse their power to engage in explicit or sexual conduct to be penalized for it — and prevents them from arguing victimized parties were consenting.
This new legislation would amend the law by adding clergy to that list.
State Sen. Randy Robertson, the bill’s lead sponsor, presented the legislation before the committee, describing a longstanding pattern in which spiritual authority is manipulated to facilitate abuse.
“What we’ve experienced for many, many years here in the state of Georgia is we have seen members of the clergy exploit their power and authority over individuals in their churches — females by the vast, vast majority,” Robertson explained. “The ministers gain the trust of these ladies and manipulate that trust into a ‘distorted discipleship’ where by the time they turn around they’ve entered into a sexual relationship with this predator.”
He noted survivors often face significant barriers when seeking justice under current law.
“When they come out and try to defend themselves, a lot of times the aggressor will say ‘Well, it was consensual.’ These ladies feel trapped and right now in Georgia there’s really no avenue within the criminal justice system for them to receive any kind of justice.”
Although Robertson’s testimony emphasized the victimization of women, men and boys can be survivors of clergy sexual abuse, as well. While sexual abuse is more commonly reported by female victims across the board, research has shown male victims are more likely to be abused in religious institutions compared to secular ones. They also take more time, on average, to disclose their abuse to others compared to females.
The bill, if passed into law, would apply to cases involving victims regardless of gender.
The legislation has garnered broad bipartisan support and continues to gain momentum as the Georgia General Assembly approaches the final weeks of the legislative session. Crossover Day is March 6, and the session is slated to end with Sine Die April 2.
Supporters are encouraging Georgians to contact their state legislators and urge passage of SB-542 this session.