CSHJR 36(HES) AM: Relating to rejecting the conclusions in a recent article published by the American Psychological Association that suggests that sexual relationships between adults and children might be positive for children; and urging the President of the United States and the United States Congress to similarly reject these conclusions.
00CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 36(HES) am 01 Relating to rejecting the conclusions in a recent article published by the American 02 Psychological Association that suggests that sexual relationships between adults 03 and children might be positive for children; and urging the President of the 04 United States and the United States Congress to similarly reject these 05 conclusions. 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS children are a precious gift and responsibility; and 08 WHEREAS the spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of children is our sacred 09 duty; and 10 WHEREAS no segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival 11 and society than our children; and 12 WHEREAS it is the obligation of all public policymakers not only to support but also 13 to defend the health and rights of parents, families, and children; and 14 WHEREAS information endangering to children is being made public and, in some
01 instances, may be given unwarranted or unintended credibility through release under 02 professional titles or through professional organizations; and 03 WHEREAS elected officials have a duty to inform and counter actions they consider 04 damaging to children, parents, families, and society; and 05 WHEREAS Alaska has made sexual molestation of a child a felony and has declared 06 parents who sexually molest their children to be unfit; and 07 WHEREAS virtually all studies in this area, including those published by the 08 American Psychological Association, condemn child sexual abuse as criminal and harmful to 09 children; and 10 WHEREAS the American Psychological Association has recently published, but did 11 not endorse, a study that suggests that sexual relationships between adults and willing children 12 are less harmful than believed and might even be positive for "willing" children; 13 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature condemns and denounces all 14 suggestions in the recently published study by the American Psychological Association that 15 indicates sexual relationships between adults and willing children are less harmful than 16 believed and might even be positive for "willing" children; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 18 Congress and the President of the United States to likewise reject and condemn, in the 19 strongest honorable written and vocal terms possible, any suggestion that sexual relations 20 between children and adults are anything but abusive, destructive, exploitive, reprehensible, 21 and punishable by law; and be it 22 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages competent 23 investigations to continue to research the effects of child sexual abuse using the best 24 methodology so that the public and public policymakers may act upon accurate information. 25 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 26 United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and President 27 of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Trent Lott, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 28 Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 29 David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Surgeon General of the United States; and to the Honorable Ted 30 Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, 31 U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.