Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/490

 113 STAT. 2008 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—JULY 30, 1999 July 30, 1999 STUDY ON ADULT-CHILD SEXUAL [H. Con. Res. 107] RELATIONSHIPS—OPPOSITION Whereas no segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival than our children; Whereas children are a precious gift and responsibility given to parents by God; Whereas the spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of children are parents' sacred duty; Whereas parents have the right to expect Government to refrain from interfering with them in fulfilling their sacred duty and to render necessary assistance; Whereas the Supreme Court has held that parents "who have this primary responsibility for children's well-being are entitled to the support of laws designed to aid discharge of that responsibility" (Ginsberg v. New York, 390 U.S. 629, 639 (1968)); Whereas it is the obligation of all public policymakers not only to support, but also to defend, the health and rights of parents, families, and children; Whereas information endangering children is being made public and, in some instances, may be given imwarranted or unintended credibility through release under professional titles or through professional organizations; Whereas elected officials have a duty to inform and counter actions they consider damaging to children, parents, families, and society; Whereas Congress has made sexual molestation and exploitation of children a felony; Whereas all credible studies in this area, including those published by the American Psychological Association, condemn child sexual abuse as criminal and harmful to children; Whereas, once published and allowed to stand, scientific literature may become a source for additional research; Whereas the Psychological Bulletin has recently published a severely flawed study, entitled "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples", which suggests that sexual relationships between adults and children are less harmful than believed and might be positive for "willing" children (Psychological Bulletin, vol. 124, No. 1, July 1998); Whereas, in order to clarify any inconsistencies between the two conclusions the authors of the study suggest and the position of the American Psychological Association that sexual relations between children and adults are abusive, exploitive, and reprehensible, and should never be considered or labeled as harmless or acceptable, the American Psychological Association has issued a public "Resolution Opposing Child Sexual Abuse"; Whereas the American Psychological Association should be congratulated for publicly clarifying its opposition to any adultchild sexual relations, which will help to deny pedophiles from citing "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples" in a legal defense.

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