Washington's Other Sex Scandal

Jonathan Rauch | August 7, 1999

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In June, Schlessinger declared on national television: "Two out of the three authors have written and traveled all over the world in the pedophilia circles to promote the notion of adult-child sex.'' This is a serious accusation. I interviewed two of the authors, Rind and Bauserman, and both said it is false. They said the statement's closest intersection with reality is that, on one occasion, Bauserman and Tromovitch presented their findings to a group of social workers and clinicians in the Netherlands. When I asked for substantiation, a spokeswoman for Schlessinger wrote to me that the authors "are obviously 'in touch' with'' Dutch pedophilia advocates.

All the while, the people churning out this stomach-turning stuff were condemning the study's authors for distorting truth to promote an agenda. They were also charging that the American Psychological Association had been "irresponsible.''

When a few members of Congress condemn a scientific report, they are expressing opinions. When the U.S. House of Representatives, with its vast power, condemns a scientific report, it is making an implicit threat. After holding its ground for a few weeks after the storm broke, in June the APA embarked on a campaign to placate Congress--as well it might.

Raymond D. Fowler, the APA's chief executive, told me he doubts the contretemps will have any large chilling effect on research or publication. "I think that any attempts to interfere with the normal scientific process wouldn't go very far,'' he said. Maybe. On the other hand, an activist coalition of Kulturkampf conservatives has just learned that by smearing research on a particularly sensitive subject it can score a 355-0 victory over the forces of darkness. Hmm. Would you be surprised if this happened again? And again?

"I really believe in my heart that if that study had gone unchallenged, it would have done harm to children,'' says Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., the chief sponsor of the congressional condemnation. "I think it was shoddy science. I don't want to put a gag order on science, but let's make sure it's science.''

Who, precisely, is the "us'' in "let's''? One might have expected a conservative to appreciate that "unchallenged by Congress'' does not equal "unchallenged.'' If winding up at the business end of a 355-0 congressional resolution persuades researchers to avoid asking questions or publishing answers that provoke Tom DeLay, the result will be to stifle the advance of knowledge about sexual abuse. That will hurt children.