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Child abuse: opposing viewpoints PDF

221 Pages·2003·0.64 MB·English
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Other Books of Related Interest OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS SERIES Addiction Adoption Chemical Dependency Drug Abuse The Family Homosexuality The Information Revolution The Internet Pornography Poverty CURRENT CONTROVERSIES SERIES Alcoholism Child Abuse Computers and Society The Disabled Drug Abuse Family Violence The Information Age Issues in Adoption AT ISSUE SERIES Alcohol Abuse Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church Louise I. Gerdes, Book Editor Daniel Leone, President Bonnie Szumski, Publisher Scott Barbour, Managing Editor Helen Cothran, Senior Editor San Diego (cid:127) Detroit (cid:127) New York (cid:127) San Francisco (cid:127) Cleveland New Haven, Conn. (cid:127) Waterville, Maine (cid:127) London (cid:127) Munich © 2003 by Greenhaven Press. Greenhaven Press is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Greenhaven®and Thomson Learning™ are trademarks used herein under license. For more information, contact Greenhaven Press 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 Or you can visit our Internet site at http://www.gale.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material. Cover credit: © Brand X Pictures LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Child abuse : opposing viewpoints / Louise I. Gerdes, book editor. p. cm. — (Opposing viewpoints series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7377-1674-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7377-1673-8 (lib. : alk. paper) 1. Child abuse—United States. 2. Child abuse—Investigation—United States. 3.Child molesters—United States. I. Gerdes, Louise I. II. Opposing viewpoints series (Unnumbered) HV6626.52 .C554 2003 362.76'0973—dc21 2002043083 Printed in the United States of America “Congress shall make no law. . .abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The basic foundation of our democracy is the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression. The Opposing Viewpoints Series is dedicated to the concept of this basic freedom and the idea that it is more important to practice it than to enshrine it. Contents Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? 9 Introduction 12 Chapter 1: What Causes Child Abuse? Chapter Preface 16 1. Multiple Factors Contribute to Child Abuse 18 Lesa Bethea 2. Poverty Is the Leading Cause of Child Abuse 26 National Coalition for Child Protection Reform 3. Substance-Abusing Parents Are More Likely to Abuse Their Children 31 Joseph A. Califano Jr. 4. Children with Disabilities Are at Greater Risk for Abuse 38 American Academy of Pediatrics 5. Sexualizing Children May Encourage Child Sexual Abuse 44 Julie Hudash 6. Globalization Fosters Child Sexual Abuse 48 Ron O’Grady Periodical Bibliography 57 Chapter 2: How Should the Catholic Church Address Child Sexual Abuse? Chapter Preface 59 1. The Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse Is Adequate 61 Stephen J. Rossetti 2. The Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse Is Inadequate 70 Thomas P. Doyle 3. The Catholic Church Must Institute a Zero- Tolerance Policy for Child Sexual Abuse 76 David McGrath 4. Zero Tolerance of Child Sexual Abuse Could Lead to Further Abuse 80 National Catholic Reporter 5. The Catholic Church Should Ban Homosexuals from the Priesthood 85 Tom Barrett 6. The Catholic Church Should Reevaluate Its Celibacy Requirement for Priests 94 Eugene Cullen Kennedy 7. Factors Other than Celibacy and Homosexuality Foster Child Sexual Abuse by Priests 98 Joseph J. Guido Periodical Bibliography 105 Chapter 3: How Should the Legal System Combat Child Sexual Exploitation? Chapter Preface 107 1. Community Notification Laws Protect Children from Child Molesters 109 Suzanne D. DiNubile 2. Community Notification Laws Are Unjust 115 Robert E. Freeman-Longo 3. Expanding Police Powers Will Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet 122 Louis J. Freeh 4. Expanding Police Powers Is Unnecessary to Combat Child Sexual Exploitation on the Internet 130 Philip Jenkins 5. Computer-Generated Child Pornography Should Be Banned 138 Paul M. Rodriguez 6. Laws Against Computer-Generated Child Pornography Are Unnecessary and Unfair 142 Wendy Kaminer Periodical Bibliography 148 Chapter 4: How Can Child Abuse Be Reduced? Chapter Preface 150 1. Family Preservation Programs Are More Effective than Foster Care 152 National Coalition for Child Protection Reform 2. Family Preservation Programs Put Children at Risk 157 Susan Orr 3. Policies Encouraging Adoption Should Be Strengthened 162 Elizabeth Bartholet 4. Policies Encouraging Adoption Are Often Unfair 171 Dara Colwell 5. Disciplinary Spanking Should Be Banned 182 Nadine Block 6. Disciplinary Spanking Is Not Child Abuse 191 Okey Chigbo Periodical Bibliography 202 For Further Discussion 204 Organizations to Contact 207 Bibliography of Books 213 Index 216 Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? “The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this.” John Stuart Mill In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find dif- fering opinions. Thousands of newspapers and magazines and dozens of radio and television talk shows resound with differing points of view. The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which “experts” seem the most credible. The more inundated we become with differing opinions and claims, the more essential it is to hone critical reading and thinking skills to evaluate these ideas. Opposing Viewpoints books address this problem directly by present- ing stimulating debates that can be used to enhance and teach these skills. The varied opinions contained in each book examine many different aspects of a single issue. While examining these conveniently edited opposing views, readers can develop critical thinking skills such as the ability to compare and contrast authors’ credibility, facts, argumenta- tion styles, use of persuasive techniques, and other stylistic tools. In short, the Opposing Viewpoints Series is an ideal way to attain the higher-level thinking and reading skills so essential in a culture of diverse and contradictory opinions. In addition to providing a tool for critical thinking, Op- posing Viewpoints books challenge readers to question their own strongly held opinions and assumptions. Most people form their opinions on the basis of upbringing, peer pres- sure, and personal, cultural, or professional bias. By reading carefully balanced opposing views, readers must directly confront new ideas as well as the opinions of those with whom they disagree. This is not to simplistically argue that 9 everyone who reads opposing views will—or should— change his or her opinion. Instead, the series enhances read- ers’ understanding of their own views by encouraging con- frontation with opposing ideas. Careful examination of oth- ers’ views can lead to the readers’ understanding of the logical inconsistencies in their own opinions, perspective on why they hold an opinion, and the consideration of the pos- sibility that their opinion requires further evaluation. Evaluating Other Opinions To ensure that this type of examination occurs, Opposing Viewpoints books present all types of opinions. Prominent spokespeople on different sides of each issue as well as well- known professionals from many disciplines challenge the reader. An additional goal of the series is to provide a forum for other, less known, or even unpopular viewpoints. The opinion of an ordinary person who has had to make the de- cision to cut off life support from a terminally ill relative, for example, may be just as valuable and provide just as much in- sight as a medical ethicist’s professional opinion. The editors have two additional purposes in including these less known views. One, the editors encourage readers to respect others’ opinions—even when not enhanced by professional credibil- ity. It is only by reading or listening to and objectively eval- uating others’ ideas that one can determine whether they are worthy of consideration. Two, the inclusion of such view- points encourages the important critical thinking skill of ob- jectively evaluating an author’s credentials and bias. This evaluation will illuminate an author’s reasons for taking a particular stance on an issue and will aid in readers’ evalua- tion of the author’s ideas. It is our hope that these books will give readers a deeper understanding of the issues debated and an appreciation of the complexity of even seemingly simple issues when good and honest people disagree. This awareness is particularly important in a democratic society such as ours in which people enter into public debate to determine the common good. Those with whom one disagrees should not be re- garded as enemies but rather as people whose views deserve careful examination and may shed light on one’s own. 10

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