Flagg wrote:Absolutely. I'm firmly a believer that pedophilia is a mental illness and some if not all sufferers have the ability to control whether or not they act upon it. I honestly cannot imagine what kind of hell one must live in to be solely attracted to children in a sexual way and be able to control that urge. And I honestly couldn't feel worse for someone in that position. And if that is the case, then I hope someone is working on helping them. Because to feel that compulsion and never act on it because you know it's wrong, and would harm the child psychologically... That's indescribable heroism.Broomstick wrote:Funny thing is, there IS evidence of people out there who have the urge to molest but mange to never actually act on it. Pity we can't bottle that self-control and distribute it freely.
The lawyer and crime writer Andrew Vachss has a saying about this: "To feel the feelings is sick. To act on the feelings is evil."