"Ethicist" Randy Cohen thinks Its Ok Not to Report Sex-Abuse

After attacking the Church on the National Public Radio program, Midmorning, hosted by Keri Miler, Randy Cohen launched on a brief explanation of how the Church should have intervened to protect those who were victimized by Catholic priests (who were overwhelmingly homosexual) and that their failure to protect children in these cases is the source of their liabillity.

This was a call-in show. The first caller was a man named Ted who explained his own ethical conundrum, that he had failed to report a sexual abuse that happend about 20 years ago. A child came into his school office, where he was counselor for GLBT students. The 16 year old said that he was having a relationship with an older man, but Ted didn't report the situation to the police and asked the 16 year old if he was practicing "safe-sex" instead. Ted felt bad about his failure to report the incident to the police as he was legally and ethically required to do, thus allowing a predator to go free and pursue another adolescent at another time.

Mr. Cohen tried to reassure Ted that it was ok, and that he should't be so hard on himself. When Ted pointed out that his situation was just like that of the Catholic Church, Mr. Cohen tried to pawn this out by suggesting that a 16 year old boy might be mature enough to handle the situation after all. Suddenly, there was hope for a GLBT guidance counsellor where before there had only been darkness and condemnation. Suddenly, Mr. Cohen's principled stand gave way to a special allowance.

When Ted failed to act to protect a 16 year old student from a homosexual predator, he was given a pass, but when Mr. Cohen views the Catholic Church doing the same thing, he is more than prepared to offer a condemnation. According to Mr. Cohen's own argument, Ted failed to protect a child who came to him for counsel, and Mr. Cohen excused him. We hope that Mr. Cohen could be more Solomonic when it comes to his judgement of the Catholic Church, because it is clear that he is operating from a double-standard.

Randy Cohen: Writer of "the Ethicist" column for the Sunday New York Times Magazine and author of "The Good, the Bad & the Difference: How to Tell Right From Wrong in Everyday Situations.

Link to Midmorning show...