Good. Such matters, if contested, belong in courts. Personal annoyance. I have always disliked the protection of the identities of adult alleged victims. It is a form of prejudgment before anything is proved in court.
PopeWatch: Good
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Although I do see your point as you have a true understanding of legal proceedings in real time. However, if its understood your point to mean identities of victims revealed to jurors/judge/those attending the trial AND published in the media to the wider community- I wonder in the cases where the accusations are legitimate whether the victims would still have the courage to come forward if they knew their identities wouldn’t be protected in court and in the media during court proceedings? The victims in these cases would not have the opportunity to bring the accused to justice because perhaps they couldn’t bring themselves to endure a lengthy trial with their name and details published, especially when the outcome of the trial is obviously unknown…
On flip side, when identity is known there is a greater chance of intimidation to the abused – making it a double abuse and abused not stepping forward.
I see your point and know the flip side.
Ezabelle, the identity of minors should be protected. People who are mentally disabled I would extend the same sort of anonymity to. Grown adults? No. Granting them anonymity presupposes that their allegations are true and that is to be determined by the trial. That real victims might decide not to press charges as a result I concede, and that bothers me. However, I think it might also discourage false allegations.
Granting them anonymity presupposes that their allegations are true and that is to be determined by the trial.
Yes understand. You’re right. That’s what happened in the case of Pell. He really didn’t have a chance from the beginning because of the anonymity factor.