Parenting Abused Children: Hope, Healing & Insight

Cries go unheard

A small voice is sinking

In muddy bruises

Dr. Gardner has decreed

This mother is unfit

A sexually frustrated Venus

Rage has broken

The shackles of silence

A gentle hand, eases forth a terrible secret

Dr. Gardner has proclaimed

The therapist is just as paranoid, as delusional

As the mother who bravely told her story

There is no escape from the nightmares

She will squeeze her legs shut and scream

She will draw blood with small fingernails

Dr. Gardner believes mandated reporting is wrong

Children are naturally sexual,

Molestation is not necessarily traumatic

Lightning has struck twice

In white hot rage leashed upon the family

In electric currents guided by judicial order

Dr. Gardner has been paid well for expert testimony

Immediately remove the child from the fanatic mother

To return to the custody of the abuser

Children have run away

Children have committed suicide

Children have been traumatized for life

Dr. Gardner has slashed himself,

His blood drowns the innocent

In the unscientific, unproven accusation

Of parental alienation syndrome.

Evanlee, ©2007

__________________________

  For Consideration:  

“Gardner emphasizes in his ‘American Fatherhood’ article that ‘… it is also important that the therapist be court ordered and have direct input to the judge. This can often be facilitated by the utilization of a guardian ad litem or a child advocate, who has the opportunity for direct communication with the court. The mother must know that any obstructionism on her part will be immediately reported to the judge, either by the therapist or though the guardian ad litem or child advocate. The court must be willing to impose sanctions such as fines or jail. The threat of loss of primary custody can also help such mothers ‘remember to cooperate.‘” How “Parental Alienation Syndrome” is Used Against Mothers and Children Who Allege Child Sexual Abuse by Trish Wilson. http://www.feminista.com/archives/v1n2/wilson.html

A court’s reliance on PAS in custody decisions puts abused children at extreme risk of further abuse by the offending parent.  PAS is used to discount a child’s outcries of physical or sexual abuse as the product of the other parent’s hostility toward the accused abuser.  Courts relying on PAS frequently fail to investigate the child’s allegations, and they often reject independent evidence of the abuse.  Therefore, the child who courageously has come forward to report abuse is ignored and even chastised, and therefore further abused, by the very system that has promised to protect him/her.  The message is powerful and often plays right into the cruel admonition of the abuser:  “If you tell, no one will believe you.” Parental Alienation Syndrome: A Guide for Attorneys or Pro Se  Litigants (Highly Recommend this Article). http://www.jfcadvocacy.org/amicus-briefs/HOU_400991_13.DOC

“To date, none of the studies necessary to judge the validity of Gardner’s so-called syndrome have been conducted. In 2006, the Children’s Legal Rights Journal (a multi-disciplinary journal published in conjunction with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, the National Association of Counsel for Children, and the Loyola University School of Law) and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges each published analyses finding no scientific or legal basis for the use of PAS. And yet, PAS keeps making appearances in courts across the country, subverting and perverting the pursuit of justice one family at a time.” Sick Joke or Sick Reality? “Below the Belt: A Biweekly Weekly Column, 5/17/2007″. by NOW President Kim Gandy. http://www.now.org/news/note/051707.html 

“Melbourne University professor of psychiatry Alasdair Vance agrees, saying PAS has no standing in mainstream psychiatry or medicine and that research indicated children were more reliable than adults in reporting sex abuse. ‘It is not helpful for the community to be hoodwinked by information that’s not rigorously tested.’ he said.” Pedophiles use ‘junk’ theory to win custody. By Peter Ellingsen. The Age, Australia. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/02/1096527990335.html?from=storylhs For More Information about Parental Alienation Syndrome, Dr. Richard Gardner and PAS Shennanigans in Ohio Visit: http://cincinnatipas.com/

An Analysis on Parental Alienation Syndrome and a Response to Dr. Richard Gardner. Excerpt: “HOWEVER, these guys are psychiatrists and psychologists!  All the while they claim no liability for “misuse” of PAS theory, THEY KNOW EXACTLY how their theory is going to be read, used, perceived!  (And if that isn’t enough, consider the self-interest of one who is earning a living writing about or using PAS theory, whether as a defense lawyer or as an expert witness.)”visit: http://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/lizonpas.htm  

Resources on Parental Alienation Syndrome, Legal Issues and the Validity of Abuse Raised in Custody Disputes: Kourts for Kids Inc. http://www.kourtsforkids.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=2