Sexual Abuse- More Common Today?

The sexual abuse of children and adolescents seems to be on the increase; but is it?  I wonder about this not because I have personally been a victim of sexual abuse, but many of my friends and acquaintances say that they have been.  In more than a few cases the results have been devastating for the child and for the adult they grow to be.  In today’s world the sexual predators are more violent if not more common.  Recently a senior bishop of the Roman Catholic Church revealed that he had been molested as a child by a priest.  The bishop is more that 70 years old now, which indicates what common sense, will tell; that these acts are not new.

What is new is the willingness of the victims to come forward, and what is really new is that their families are supporting their claims.  A close friend of mine described an incident that happened to him during the 6th Grade.  When he reported it to his mother, he was too afraid to mention it to his father; she dismissed it and advised him to put up more of a fight.  The results were disastrous.  Later he found out that his mother had been raped by a friend of her grandfather’s and she spent the rest of her life repressing the experience.

These pedophiles or sexual predators are really monsters that should be imprisoned for life without parole; the death sentence is too lenient.  A judge in Vermont has demonstrated how little value children have in our society when he sentenced one of these monsters to 60 days to life in prison.  The life part kicks in when he rapes another child, which undoubtedly he will.  Why should we, as a nation, have to wait for this person to rape again?  The news media, particularly cable, sensationalize these acts in a way that stimulates the behavior in a bid to get attention.

I wonder if abortion on demand has reduced the value of children’s lives?