Sexual assault is a horrendous tragedy when it happens anywhere. When a trusted medical provider gets away with it for decades it is a social catastrophe, destroying individuals, their families, and their communities.
Dr. Larry Nassar of USA Gymnastics and a University of Michigan sports clinic pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of sexual assault, but nearly 160 women and girls were his victims, and for more than a week they had the opportunity to confront their abuser in court at his sentencing hearing. Having already received a 60-year sentence for child pornography in a separate case, he was sentenced on Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison. Under the guise of medical treatment, his methods for abuse were deviously hidden. That abuse is over now.
There is hope for these individuals and families and communities. One victim gave riveting testimony on her life being restored through God's grace in her own family. In The Incredible Testimony as a Former Gymnast Confronts Her Sexual Abuser in Court, posted at The Gospel Coalition she recounts how the horror of her abuse has been overshadowed and even healed by God's love in the form of a loving godly husband and the joy of loving and protecting her own small children.
Family restoration is about restoring the family as the cornerstone of societal stability, but it is also about how even in the most twisted and tragic circumstances God restores individuals to Himself and uses their own families to do so.
It is astonishing how long can a recognized professional- individual in a community, that could be one like our own, may abuse children for years and nobody having realized or denounced his hidden intentions.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we should preserve the innocence of our children as much as we can, I think this case may alert us about the importance of speaking with them about what they may recognize as uncomfortable touching from third parties.It could be helpful to sooner alert the parents about possible predators.
AMM