III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 107

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 13 (legislative day, JULY 12), 1999

Received and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and

Pensions

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress rejecting the conclusions

of a recent article published in the Psychological Bulletin, a journal of the American Psychological Association, that suggests that sexual relationships between

adults and children might be positive for children.

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;
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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 unwarranted

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
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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

adult-child 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, and for resolving to evaluate

the scientific articles it publishes in light of their potential social, legal, and political implications;

Whereas the Supreme Court has recognized that ‘‘sexually

exploited children are unable to develop healthy affectionate relationships in later life, have sexual dysfunctions, and have a tendency to become sexual abusers as

adults’’ (New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747, 758, n.9

(1982));

Whereas Paidika—The Journal of Pedophilia, a publication

advocating the legalization of sex with ‘‘willing’’ children,

has published an article by one of the authors of the

study, Robert Bauserman, Ph.D. (see ‘‘Man-Boy Sexual

Relationships in a Cross-Cultural Perspective,’’ vol. 2,

No. 1, Summer 1989); and
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Whereas pedophiles and organizations, such as the North

American Man-Boy Love Association, that advocate laws

to permit sex between adults and children are exploiting

the study to promote and justify child sexual abuse: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) condemns and denounces all suggestions in

4 the article ‘‘A Meta-Analytic Examination of As5 sumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using Col6 lege Samples’’ that indicate that sexual relationships

7 between adults and ‘‘willing’’ children are less harm8 ful than believed and might be positive for ‘‘willing’’

9 children (Psychological Bulletin, vol. 124, No. 1,

10 July 1998);

11 (2) vigorously opposes any public policy or leg12 islative attempts to normalize adult-child sex or to

13 lower the age of consent;

14 (3) urges the President likewise to reject and

15 condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any sug16 gestion that sexual relations between children and

17 adults—regardless of the child’s frame of mind—are

18 anything but abusive, destructive, exploitive, rep19 rehensible, and punishable by law; and

20 (4) encourages competent investigations to con21 tinue to research the effects of child sexual abuse
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1 using the best methodology, so that the public, and

2 public policymakers, may act upon accurate informa3 tion.

Passed the House of Representatives July 12, 1999.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.