Sunday, February 28, 2010

Delaware Doctor Videotaped Abuse

Dr. Earl Bradley may have up to 100 victims. While law enforcement reviews over thirteen hours of tape to identify his victims, some parents don't want to hear the outcome. Dr. Bradley created a child friendly environment at his pediatric office. Disney characters welcomed his young patients and toys covered the rooms. Dr. Bradley is said to have abused his victims while they were out of sight of their parents, or while conducting unnecessary exams on the children. Now facing almost 500 separate crimes,Bradley's offices are closed and parents are left wondering if their child or children were victims. Some feel that if their child hasn't been forthcoming with any abuse allegations, then they must be fine. If their child is "okay", then why would they want to find out that they had actually been violated? Others want to know what happened and if their children were victimized. Officials say it is best to identify the children and make sure they get counseling right away, noting that repressed memories may surface in years to come. Who makes that call? Do parents know their children best, and are they the most obvious choice to make these decisions? If they choose not to participate, and it turns out their child is a victim, did they, meaning law enforcement let the child down by not actively pursuing the allegations? Where does this responsibility lie? Wouldn't you want to know either way, so that you can do your best to help your child? Or, because you have guilt as a parent, or can't handle the "awkward" situation, do you go on like nothing has happened? Sexual violence is already so silent, if these parents choose to not participate with the case, let's hope they at least sit down and discuss it at length with their children. Let's hope they open up the dialogue that often gets skipped because parents don't want to discuss "these kind of things".

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35606897/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts//

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