Showing posts with label Child sex abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child sex abuse. Show all posts

Friday, September 1, 2023

Pregnant Girls & New Laws

 


Are your girls and granddaughters on the pill yet?

If you don't like the idea of elementary and middle school girls giving birth next summer or in the next few years, then birth control may be the only viable solution in Texas and other highly restrictive locations.


I came across an eye-catching headline this morning.

 

 "Highways are the next antiabortion target. 

One Texas town is resisting."

 

Caroline Kitchener of the Washington Post (https://wapo.st/3L6AGWn) tells the story of this new approach to end “abortion trafficking.”

 "A new ordinance, passed in several jurisdictions and under consideration elsewhere, aims to stop people from using local roads to drive someone out of state for an abortion."


Not everyone is on board with the new ways to shut down all abortions even though they may be staunchly antiabortion as this quote illustrates:

--------

“I hate abortion,” she said. “I’m a Jesus lover like all of you in here.”

 

Still, she said, she couldn’t help thinking about the time in college when she picked up a friend from an abortion clinic — and how someone might have tried to punish her under this law.

 

“It’s overreaching,” she said. “We’re talking about people here.”

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The journalist captures a key psychological factor when she addresses the fear factor associated with threats of lawsuits and restrictive laws aimed at ending what the antiabortionists call "abortion trafficking."



Those of us who have worked in schools and hospitals know girls and young teens get pregnant. On our morning walk, my wife and I talked about the age of our granddaughters—one just began her second year in middle school—hard to believe!

 

Perhaps it was the conversation that made the headline salient. Anyway, I looked to see if anyone was writing about young girls and early teens. It turns out, Cara Murez addressed the topic less than a year ago (US NEWS). Pregnancy isn’t easy on the body of these youngsters. If you are interested, see how difficult it is for pregnant girls in the age 10 to 13 range. And for some, there are lifelong consequences to deal with.

 School shootings aren't the only threats to young lives.

The article about Texas appears to focus on adults. I hope parents of young girls will also think about prevention.

 


I write about psychology and religion.

 

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

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Tuesday, May 24, 2022

What to Do About Church Sexual Abuse

 



The American Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Scandal

 

It’s no surprise that any large group of men would be exempt from credible sexual harassment or abuse allegations.

The statistics are too high to imagine that 100% of large all male groups would be free from this form of aggression.

I do not know if the average Christian is getting used to such reports, in denial, outraged, or what. Likely, there are mixed reactions.

The SBC scandal offers another opportunity to take the problem of sex abuse and harassment seriously enough to make sacred places safer.

**********

I met Sarah Pulliam Bailey years ago and have followed her reporting. She does a thorough job, which is why I suspect she has progressed to the WP. In her article (May 22, 2022), she opines that the almost 300 page report “is expected to send shock waves throughout a conservative Christian community that has had intense internal battles over how to handle sex abuse.”  I hope so.

It's disturbing to learn the way reports of abuse were handled.

Consider the following:

The report, compiled by an organization called Guidepost Solutions at the request of Southern Baptists, states that abuse survivors’ calls and emails were “only to be met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility” by leaders who were concerned more with protecting the institution from liability than from protecting Southern Baptists from further abuse.

I hope every church member and church leader who reads the story evaluated the policies in their own congregation. Clinicians like me have seen the devastating effects of sexual harassment or sexual abuse on so many people, mostly but not always, women.

The answers to the problem are always about the same. There are no perfect ways to keep sacred places completely safe from predators. But there are some things that can be done.

Learn more about this scandal in the report from Guidepost Solutions.



Some safety ideas

Every church and organization needs policies and practices concerning sexual abuse and harassment.

Require annual sex abuse and harassment training of all workers including volunteers.

All hires, including volunteers, need careful screening that includes background checks and documented reference checks.

All clergy should undergo psychological evaluations.

All leaders need close supervision.

Ensure that volunteers are known as regular participatory church members for at least six months.

Ensure that two or more adults are present when working with children.

Ensure children are only released to parents, legal guardians, or authorized persons using claim check methods.

All allegations should be investigated by experienced investigators.

Focus on helping victims become survivors.

Speak out against sexual abuse and harassment.

Focus on the people God loves not on organizations.

**********

Warning about naïve beliefs in God’s protection or we don’t have such problems.

Challenge the naïve belief that “it cannot happen here.” Too many have suffered from abuse and harassment in a wide variety of Christian churches, schools, and organizations.

Challenge the naïve belief in God’s protection. Too many have suffered from abuse and harassment in a wide variety of Christian churches, schools, and organizations.

**********

 

 

Warning about naïve beliefs in forgiveness and transformation of leaders who commit sexual offenses.

Untreated sex offenders may be expected to offend again.

Treated sex offenders may or may not offend again.

Forgiving sex offenders does not require victim-offender reconciliation, which can be dangerous for the victim.

Forgiving Christian leaders who committed a sexual offense does not require restoration to the same type of ministry or any ministry at all. Restoration should focus on restoring wellness.

**********

Resources

Sexual Abuse Prevention- Church Mutual

Sexual Misconduct prevention

Evaluate Ministry Safe and similar programs

Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention

Policy Manual for Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Prevention

Helping to Manage the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in Church

 

Note

I am a retired psychologist who, like many of my colleagues, have evaluated and treated numerous girls, boys, women, and men who suffered from sexual abuse and harassment. Their pain and suffering is real. And some of them were abused by people who identified as Christians. Their stories include abuse in Christian churches, schools, and treatment programs.

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Church photo note- From Bing free to share and use


 



Saturday, December 11, 2021

CONVICTED- Josh Duggar Guilty-What now

 


According to the news, the former star on the TLC family show "19 Kids and Counting" is guilty of downloading and possessing child pornography (APnews-9 Dec 2021). The show was canelled in 2015 when it became public that he molested four of his sisters and a baby sitter.

Kate Shellnutt of CT included quotes worth reading to think about this crime in the context of Christian communities.


“For everyone who was abused within their households or in their religious communities where nothing was done, where the male was given a second chance, where there was some excuse or minimization used, seeing Josh Duggar go to prison gives them some vindication or maybe some hope that the right result can happen,” said Boz Tchividjian, a sexual abuse attorney and advocate who founded GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment).

“But the right result happened not because the faith community, not the family, or even the church, rose up and said, ‘Absolutely not. We cannot tolerate this type of crime.’”

See Christianity Today Dec 9 2021 for more.

Shellnutt quotes Sheila Wray Gregoire's response. Sheila talks and writes about sex. "I'm glad that the guilty verdict came down," she wrote on Dec 9. Sheila points to Tamar in scripture and recent evangelical celebs to make a point about cover up in the evangelical churches. She believes in the causal connection to a belief: "All men struggle with lust; it's every man's battle."

As support for her assertion, she quotes the widely popular author Gary Thomas and his reference to ethicist, Al Mohler comment: "there isn't a man alive who isn't bent in his sexual desires."

I like to see data. Gregoire includes some data from a survey. Check out her summary.

In our survey of 3,000 Christian men, we found that evangelical men were 81% more likely to believe “lust is every man’s battle” in high school than other Christians who don’t identify as evangelicals, and 46% more likely to believe it now than other Christian men.

Our survey of 20,000 women found something even more stark. Evangelical women are 85% more likely to believe “lust is every man’s battle” than non-evangelical Christians. And the more women attended church (both in high school and currently) the more likely they were to agree with the every man’s battle message.


ET online quotes Jill Duggar's family response.

People adds the story of Jinger (Duggar) Vuolo.

The Daily Mail quotes cousin Amy "Thank you Jesus. Justice has been served."

Beyond the Headlines

The sexual abuse of children is disgusting. I wish Gregoire's beliefs about causal beliefs were sufficient to guide churches and communities in what to do about sexual abuse. Unfortunately, those of us who have been clinicians have seen many people who have been abused and are aware of perpetrators who have not been convicted.

I have no reason to criticize Gregoire's work. I hope she helps millions of people. I would like to add that the Duggar story is about the sexual abuse of children--not the sexual abuse of adult women. I like her ideas (read them) but there are important differences when thinking about children and adults.

1. Christians must take the Duggar story seriously-- Here, I agree with Gregoire. There's no need for a witch hunt. There is a need to recognize the seriousness of child sexual abuse and to report allegations to local authorities.

2. Covering up sexual abuse does not protect the church or Christian organization. Cover-ups put children at risk for ongoing abuse. And cover-ups bring shame when the story leaks. And the story will leak eventually.

3. Christian parents must accept the responsibility to supervise their children and get professional help in cases of sibling sexual abuse or abuse by relatives. The Duggar example is just one reminder that abuse happens.

4. When crusading against porn, focus attention on people who are victims of coercion instead of consenting adults.

5. Insist on carefully vetting all clergy and church workers. Insist on professional evaluations. Predators easily deceive interviewers and themselves.

6. Read church and organizational policies to assess protection of your children. Do they have a policy concerning reporting child abuse? Do they provide supervision and monitoring of staff and volunteers? Do they insist on sexual abuse education?

7. All clergy and childcare workers should learn more about childhood sexual abuse -- here's a place to start read this from APA. And see their references for more.

8. Ensure all clergy and child workers have a basic knowledge of sex education.

9. Ensure all clergy and child workers understand and respect interpersonal boundaries.

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Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 



 

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Reason Fails in Politics, Religion, and Morals

 


Abby Johnson's recent speech at the 2020 RNC illustrates the power of evocative imagery to stimulate moral sentiment. People respond with disgust to the imagery she created and, predictably, lashed out at those who support abortion.

Her speech also illustrates the tight connection between politics, religion, and morality. In this case, the US Republican Party + Evangelical Christians + the Purity foundation of moral sentiment.

Johnson is also skilled at persuasion as she frames the election as a choice between two radical activists and a prolife president (North).

Of course, the opposition party (Democrats) or commentators responded to point out factual errors (e.g., Hesse) and expose the woman's antiequality beliefs. But facts, challenges to Johnson's morals, and logical arguments are never as powerful as images that evoke disgust. Disgust can energize avoidant behavior (e.g., not voting for pro-choice candidates), verbal attacks toward perceived threats (e.g., Democrats), and even violence.

Counterpoint imagery

One might reasonably ask if those supporting a woman's right to choose have equally evocative imagery to present. The prochoice movement has tried to argue that prochoice does not mean proabortion. That is of course true, but a statement does not appear to help dispel the abortion-disgust imagery.

Years ago, the horrific image of Gerri Santoro who died of a back-alley abortion made news and became a symbol of the prochoice movement (Arnold). Pitting this image of a woman who chose an abortion compared to a baby evokes different responses. It appears to have evoked fear in women of what could happen if abortion ever became illegal.

However, the death of a pretty pregnant woman in Ireland where abortion was illegal at the time did get considerable attention (BBC). The published images show her face but not her death linked to the denial of abortion. Her story became the basis for changes in abortion law in Ireland (thejournal).


A more powerful image evoking caring is that of the 16-year old pregnant girl who died because chemotherapy treatment was withheld due to antiabortion law in the Dominican Republic (Romo, 2012).


Perhaps more shocking is the story of a 10-year old girl in Brazil who became pregnant following repeated rapes by her uncle. She reported abuse since age 6. Rape evokes disgust toward the rapist and caring and compassion toward the victim--especially when the victim is a girl!

The law allowed abortion in cases of rape. The case went to court and the judge granted permission for an abortion but the hospital refused. 

However, the story resulted in considerable divisions with many Evangelicals and Catholics calling the authorizing doctor a murderer (Lima, 2020). The girl did travel and obtained an abortion.



Perhaps my bottom line in this post is to emphasize the point that emotions play a critical role in morality. 

Evoking emotions like disgust or compassion can lead to different ""reasons" or justifications for a moral judgment or even a change in laws. 

Arguments based on reason and logic seem particularly weak in the face of powerful imagery.


Read more about Sexuality and Christian Morality in

A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures

Available at AMAZON and from the Publisher, PICKWICK  of Wipf and Stock

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Sunday, March 6, 2016

CLERGY in the SPOTLIGHT





My wife and I saw the award-winning film, Spotlight. We both came away shocked and disturbed. The actors did a superb job at evoking a strong emotional response to the outrageous behavior of church and community leaders who covered-up child sexual abuse in Boston. The damage to human lives is horrendous.

For me, the timing of the film is ironic. Two days ago I reviewed proofs on my new book A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures. The book represents two years of work examining sexuality in the church from the perspective of moral psychology. I aim to promote open discussions of healthy Christian sexuality. But I also wrote about sexual abuse because it would be irresponsible to ignore it. As Spotlight illustrates, sex abuse happens in the church and a lot of people get seriously hurt.

Spotlight Lessons for Christians

There’s so much that could be said about sex-abuse scandals in churches. Here’s a look at six lessons using a moral framework of six dimensions derived from the work of Jonathan Haidt (The Righteous Mind ) and his colleagues.

1. Care vs. Harm

We expect churches to be in the business of caring about people—not just souls but wholes—as H. Norman Wright says. In Spotlight we find a common practice of caring more about one’s colleagues than about the damage done to the victims and survivors. The message of the Christian gospels directs attention to the social outcasts during the time of Jesus’ ministry.

Our moral impulse is to care for the young and vulnerable. Children do not survive without parental care. Righteous anger naturally rises when we see harm done to children. It’s a perversion of morality to turn the care-harm focus on an organization rather than the people an organization ought to serve.

Estimated percentages of child sexual abuse in the U.S. are
27% for girls and 16% of boys. 

See “Nature and Scope…”


2. Equality and Justice

The film shows the lack of justice accorded those who suffered deeply from child sex-abuse. A friend of mine, psychologist Ev Worthington, often speaks about the problem of the “justice gap.” We all have an innate sense of injustice. We are motivated to close the gap—to seek justice. Anger fueled vengeance seeks to right the wrongs in society. And sometimes it’s personal as seen in the film. I felt angry. Anger is a good thing when destructive people and their unjust systems are dismantled or reformed.

3. Oppression and the need for freedom

Following the publication of the sex abuse scandal, the Boston Globe was inundated with phone calls from area victims. The breaking of the sex-scandal was like blowing up a dam. People in chains to memories of sexual violence came forward. The silence of churches and organizations is oppressive. Silence can prevent victims from becoming survivors. Christian attitudes toward ethnic minorities and women are two other examples of religiously justified oppression. Faith ought to set people free. Too often leaders of faith keep people in chains.

Silence can prevent victims from becoming survivors.

4. Respect for Authority

A society cannot survive if the participants do not respect legitimate authority. Religious and political leaders are human beings who often act out of self-interest. Sadly, religious leaders often hide behind a cloak of godly authority. It’s as if to attack clergy or the church is to attack God.

It’s always been that way. Christians fret about the deteriorating morals of society. Unfortunately, many religions have lost their historic claim to moral authority. The scandal revealed in Spotlight is one massive example of the importance of holding leaders accountable in any organization that wants to have a moral voice.

5. Loyalty vs. Betrayal




In Spotlight we see efforts to encourage people to be loyal to the home team. Loyalty to Boston and the Catholic church is a virtue. Don’t destroy the works of good people because of a few “bad apples.” It’s interesting that the film focuses on numbers as if a quantifiable critical mass of bad priests is needed before one feels justified to “betray” the church.

Loyalty is indeed a virtue. But where one’s loyalty lies is important. Christians, and all moral people, are continually tested to determine whether their loyalty lies with their church/religion, pastor, political party, nuclear family, extended family, school, and so forth. At times, the ties that bind us to others must be broken. Spotlight shows what can happen when misplaced loyalty reinforces destructive church practices.

6. Purity vs. Degradation

The church has often portrayed sex as dirty and unclean. Shining the Spotlight on the filthy frocks in the church reveals dirt instead of the moral purity expected of its leaders. Sexual purity remains a focus of many Christian groups who periodically rail against premarital sex and pornography.

The film, Spotlight, evokes disgust. Disgust over sexuality provokes the desire to be clean. We find the behavior of the priests and the church disgusting. Disgust moves us to protection. Disgust can be a good thing. But we must protect those who have been hurt not an organization that perpetuates harm.

As long as churches are led by people, problems of uncontrolled sexual behavior will persist. The people who govern any organization ought always to be disgusted about “cleaning up” their organization. But churches must focus on those who have been hurt by the actions of their leaders. People who have been sexually abused often report feeling dirty. I once heard a woman say of the Christian leader who abused her, “I felt like trash- a piece of paper that he wadded up and tossed in the trash.”

Read more about Sex and Christian morality, in chapter 6 of A House Divided
  

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Resources


To learn more about the problem of child sexual abuse, see the Catholic Church report on the abuse of minors for the period 1950 to 2002. It is available from the USCCB.

Link to a 2002 Spotlight team report at the Boston Globe.

Clergy Sexual abuse is not just a Catholic issue. Newsweek story 7 April 2010.


The story behind the movie, Spotlight at the Boston Globe.