I am a heretic, and here is my heresy: Sexual abuse is natural, and until we accept that, we can not do much about it. For those of you who are starting to froth at the mouth at that outrageous statement, I did not say that sexual abuse was good, or that it should be tolerated. There is nothing more natural than rape and murder, but they sure aren’t good. Sexual abuse has such a devastating effect on its victims, and the communities they live in, one would expect it to die out. One of the effects of sexual abuse on females is that most of them develop a distaste for sex, and would therefore no longer breed. Males tend to be a bit different, but as a generalization, even those that do breed, often make lousy parents, and would not raise a family, especially if living in a primitive community.

I think that sexual abuse is nature’s contraceptive, and arises in populations that are under stress. Many sexual abusers have been molested, but new research suggests that a significant number haven’t been. Sexual abuse is prevalent in all cultures, but seems worse in those populations that are under stress.

One of the features that has marked humankind’s march to civilization has been the overcoming of the natural limits on population growth. Farming to increase the food supply, hygiene to limit disease, and a bunch of sexist crap to force the abused to breed, and raise the resulting children.

I believe that a tendency to sexually abuse has a genetic basis, as does so much of our behavior. We need to start there, if we are to eliminate it.