Debate Guide: Parenthood and pedophilia
As covered in All Good Parents Would Know, parents do not have a monopoly in debates concerning pedophilia and any related issues. Parenthood probably biases perceptions of pedophiles, as explained by Daniel:
- "To me, it makes sense that becoming a parent would have a structuring effect upon a person’s view of what pedophilia or sexual attraction towards minors entails.
- Of course, a new parent is immediately exposed to their own “good” feelings of affection towards children. But since our society dictates that a parent’s affection cannot be in the slightest way “sexual”, anyone with an erotic interest in youngsters must therefore share absolutely no common ground with the parent’s feelings. Or at least in the parent’s opinion! Therefore, in the mind of the parent, erotic interest must be characterised as something that is as far away from their own feelings as is possible; i.e. psychological pathology; “rape lust”.
- At the same time, whilst the nursing mother may once have harboured sensible beliefs about what constitutes pedophilia (i.e. love for children), the sudden realisation that her good and natural feelings are frighteningly similar to her own concept of pedophilia makes the idea of classifying an adult’s erotic interest in children as sensual, far less appealing. Since the mother couldn’t possibly see her good self as one of their kind, the “truth” about pedophiles effectively reveals itself.
- And what’s more, she now has a vulnerable little infant to protect from this menace. All in all, this has been a short and sharp call to hysteria, if ever there was one."