Bringing hidden abuse to light

Punishing sexual and reproductive abuse of adult women by priests through canon penal law

Abstract

The abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church is often equated with the sexual abuse of minors. However, there is growing awareness that adults are also among those affected by sexual violence in the Church. Furthermore, when sexual abuse leads to unwanted pregnancies, female victims also experience reproductive abuse. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of canon penal law in giving protection to adult women, who were sexually and reproductively abused by Roman Catholic priests. To answer this question, an attempt will first be made to delineate the occurrence of sexual and reproductive abuse of adult women before the effectiveness of canon penal law is analyzed through the lens of European human rights law. Due to the limited scope of this study, this analysis will be limited to the question whether the sexual and reproductive abuse of adult women is punishable under canon penal law.