“I WAS going to volunteer for the Suicide Hotline a week ago, one of the screening questions is how do you feel about child molesters. I had to take an honest assessment of myself and question if I could be the one to talk someone who was feeling guilty of doing that out of suicide… could you?”
I think this is a great question. Could you talk a child molester out of suicide, or would you be inclined to encourage him to end it so he wouldn’t be able to hurt any other children?
I have no personal experiences with child molestation. I was not molested as a child, at least so far as I know. I’m not close with anyone who has shared the details of an experience of being molested as a child, although I know that some people I know were. Still, however, it feels personal that anyone would do something so horrible.
Given this, my reaction on one level is that, given the opportunity, I might well want to help a child molester commit suicide.
However, I also know that pedophilia is a natural thing and can be treated with proper therapy. Some pedophiles never act on their attraction, and I’m sure some act on it for a time and them stop after getting help.
Given this, I think the reaction to a child molester who is feeling so guilty as to contemplate suicide should be more along the lines of helping him to seek a therapist who could help him to overcome his attraction to children.
What would you do? What do you think?
The Complete History of the Universe: A Personal Journey 