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Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)

Disclaimer: We are not saying that in custody issues turning children against the other parent doesn't happen. It's done by the abuser and at times the court supports it. This is called the Stockholm sydrome. This article refers to protective parents being accused of PAS because they have made legitimate reports of abuse.

 

The Bogus Rabbit in the Hat

Our predator's lawyer waved her magic wand and came up with Parental Alienation Syndrome to counter sexual abuse allegations. In a nutshell this is pulled out of the hat to point at the protective parent and say he or she is sick in the head and for that reason he/she should not have custody of the children because he/she is brainwashing the children.

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Here are some key factors:

  1. Beginning in the early 1980's, attention to a purported ""parental alienation syndrome"" exploded as the result of the dedicated efforts of Richard Gardner, a psychiatrist loosely affiliated with Columbia Medical School who ran a clinical practice that focused on counseling divorcing parents. Based solely on his interpretation of data gathered from his clinical practice, Gardner posited that child sexual abuse allegations were rampant in custody litigation and that 90% of children in custody litigation suffered from a disorder, which he called ""Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)         

  2. His theory has been rejected by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association as junk science.                                

  3. Quoted from Melanie Blow-a noted child advocate~"We are a nation that places little emphasis on critical thinking and even less on scientific literacy. Gardner self-published a book and sent it to every family court judge in America. They read it, they saw that he published a book, they didn't think to ask "where is the peer-reviewed empirical research that proves this?" And it was a really convenient explanation to what they saw in their courtrooms. It let them stay in their comfort zone and believe that their church buddies, golf buddies, PTA buddies, etc weren't monsters, there were just these miserable crazy women out there making trouble."                                                                                       

  4. Gardner promoted adult/child sex.   He is quoted as saying, "Tell the child that sexual abuse by a father is normal. Older children may be helped to appreciate that sexual encounters between an adult and a child are not universally considered to be reprehensible acts. The child might be told about other societies in which such behavior was and is considered normal. The child might be helped to appreciate the wisdom of Shakespeare's Hamlet, who said, "Nothing's either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. "You can read more of his quotes. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pas/RAG.html

  5. Gardner also advocated against mandatory reporting laws for child abuse.

  6. Gardner committed suicide on May 25, 2003. He was one sick and sad person and his theory is what court action against protective parents is based one.​

  7. Essentially, if a judge or lawyer promotes (PAS) they are attaching themselves to the acceptance of Pedophilia.

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Read the entire article http://www.vawnet.org/advanced-search/print-document.php?doc_id=1679&find_type=web_desc_AR​

Source:

Suggested Citation: Meier, J. (2009, January). Parental Alienation Syndrome and Parental Alienation: Research Reviews.. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence/Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Retrieved month/day/year, from: http://www.vawnet.org

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