I'm not starting another thread

[kerry]

Mike:
You read something into my comment that was not there. You thought that because I said that the studies that showed harm from childhood molestation were flawed, that I thought pedophilia was morally permissible. I never said such a thing nor do I believe such a thing. I NEVER made any argument in favor of pedophilia. I think the grounds for opposing pedophilia are strictly the lack of informed consent. This is completely separate from the issue of whether or not childhood sexual experiences have long term detrimental effects. I have not read any studies on the long term effects of childhood molestation that were not fraught with methodolgical problems. It is a very difficult task to prove that psychological states that occur 20 years later are a result of a specific event. I also have immediate acquaintance with a great deal of harm produced by therapists relying on these flawed studies.

Bestiality is another moral issue altogether. Animals fall into a different moral category since they can never consent. The issue may be disgusting but the arguments about it are totally different because the relationship does not involve two rational agents.