From: [private e-mail] To: schmelze@wias-berlin.de Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 16:23:39 +0200
WASHINGTON (AP)
The House on Monday unanimously condemned a 1998 article in an American Psychological Association journal that concluded that some victims of child sexual abuse suffered little long-term consequences.
The House voted 355-0 to denounce the study in the Psychological Bulletin, one of the APA's 37 journals, that Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., sponsor of the resolution, called the ``emancipation proclamation of pedophiles.'' Thirteen voted ``present.''
The APA, which represents 159,000 clinicians, researchers and educators, earlier this month put out a statement responding to the furor caused by the article, saying it strongly endorses the position that ``the sexual abuse of children is a criminal act that is reprehensible in any context.''
It said that for the first time in its 107-year history of publishing it has sought independent expert evaluation of the scientific quality of the article. It added that ``we recognize that we must take into account not only the scientific merit of articles but also their implication for public policy.''
The July 1998 article analyzed the findings of 59 earlier studies involving college students who had been sexually abused before the age of 18, concluding that not all victims viewed their experiences negatively and that lasting negative effects were less serious in many cases than commonly believed.
``Those who excuse this evil conduct, particularly those in positions of influence, are also pretty low on the food chain and deserve the harshest possible condemnation,'' Salmon said. But he also praised the APA for its strong stand against child sexual abuse and noted that the resolution had been revised to reflect the APA position.
The article became an issue in Congress in recent weeks after radio therapist Laura Schlessinger highlighted it on her show and Web site. Conservative groups such as the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition have also spoken out against it. ``If there is any truth to the saying that it takes a village, then every person in the village ought to value children,'' said Family Research Council spokesperson Janet Parshall. ``If we don't decry this from one end of the Congress to the other something is seriously wrong with this country.''
The bill is House Con. Res. 107.