David Bloomberg
P.O. Box 20302
Springfield, IL 62708
May 13, 1994
Letters to the Editor
Illinois Times
P.O. Box 3524
Springfield, IL 62708
To the Editor:
I think Jeff Ignatius' article about the re-imposition of a time limit on sexual abuse charges ("Limits on Justice" May 12) needs a few points of clarification.
Polly Poskin makes the claim that "a number of high-profile incidents [have] fueled a backlash against sensitivity to the seriousness of sexual abuse." I must disagree. I do not know of anybody who doubts the seriousness of sexual abuse, or is insensitive to it. However, I know of many psychologists who are doubtful about the methods used to recover "memories" of such abuse, which often lead to the charges. The "high-profile incident" involving Cardinal Bernardin was just one of these. The case was dropped because the accuser realized that he could not tell the difference between "real" memories and those which might be artifacts caused by hypnosis under what many people would deem as unscientific conditions. (These same methods, used by other "therapists" have resulted in "memories" of abductions by alien beings!)
The fact is that there are "therapists" out there who are causing these false memories. This is being recognized across the country. Lawrence Wright has recently been acclaimed for his new book, Remembering Satan: A Case of Recovered Memory and the Shattering of an American Family. REALL and other organizations which focus on critical examination have been looking into these claims for several years now, publishing a number of articles on the subject; books have been written which investigate, in great detail, some of the most well-known cases; there is an organization specifically dedicated to helping victims of false accusations (False Memory Syndrome Foundation, 3401 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104). Yet even with all these resources, Mr. Ignatius apparently only obtained information from one side of this controversial issue.
David Bloomberg, Chairman
Rational Examination
Association of Lincoln Land
P.O. Box 20302
Springfield, IL 62708
