Sex abuse book controversy

Friday October 6th 2006

THE controversy over Kathy Beirne?s book raises many issues, but the most important one I believe is the question of credibility in relation to allegations of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse within institutions and families.

If the story told in Kathy?s book is true, it deserves to be even more widely read and to elicit an even greater sense of shock and revulsion that it has to date.

We know that horrific abuses occurred in state-run institutions and that members of religious orders committed vile and detestable crimes against inmates. The orders have conceded this. But we must be sensitive to the reality that allegations of abuse sometimes don?t add up.

Former nun Nora Wall was wrongly convicted of sexual abuse before being totally vindicated and cleared of that horrible crime.

In recent months, a number of Irish priests have been CLEARED of false sex abuse allegations levelled against them. Their cases were reported in the media, but failed to receive the degree of publicity accorded to high profile abuse allegations and convictions of abusers.

If Kathy?s story stands up to exhaustive and objective investigation, then fair play to her and I hope her book acts an inspiration to all victims of abuse worldwide.

But if she cannot provide convincing evidence to support her story, including the names of the Magdalene Laundries where she allegedly suffered, then I believe that Mainstream Publications have an ethical, if not necessarily a legal, obligation to pulp the book. No person deserves to be wrongly accused of any crime . . . let alone one of the most horrifying crimes known.

JOHN FITZGERALD

CALLAN

CO KILKENNY

? Irish Independent