BILL NUMBER: SJR 17 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 6, 1999 INTRODUCED BY Senator Haynes MAY 17, 1999 Senate Joint Resolution No. 17--Relative to child sexual abuse. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SJR 17, as amended, Haynes. Child sexual abuse. This measure would respectfully urge the President and Congress to reject and condemn any suggestions that sexual relations between children and adults are anything but abusive, destructive, exploitive, reprehensible, and punishable by law. The measure would also request the American Psychological Association to repudiate and disassociate itself from any organization or publication that advocates sexual interaction between children and adults, or any study that suggests or claims that sexual relationships between adults and children are not harmful. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, Children are a precious gift and responsibility; and WHEREAS, The spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of children is our sacred duty; and WHEREAS, No segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival and society than our children; and WHEREAS, It is the obligation of all public policymakers not only to support, but also to defend the health and rights of parents, families, and children; and WHEREAS, Information endangering to children is being made public and, in some instances, may be given unwarranted or unintended credibility through release under professional titles or through professional organizations; and WHEREAS, Elected officials have a duty to inform and counter actions they consider damaging to children, parents, families, and society; and WHEREAS, California has made sexual molestation of a child a felony and has declared parents who sexually molest their children to be unfit; and WHEREAS, Virtually all studies in this area, including those published by the American Psychological Association, condemn child sexual abuse as criminal and harmful to children; andWHEREAS, The American Psychological Association has recently published a study that suggests that sexual relationships between adults and willing children are less harmful than believed and might even be positive for "willing" children; andWHEREAS, The American Psychological Association in July 1998, published a review of 59 studies of college aged students indicating that some sexual relationships between adults and children may be less harmful than believed, and that some of the college students viewed their experiences as positive at the time they occurred, or positive when reflecting back on them; and WHEREAS, The American Psychological Association is a highly respected organization, and by publishing a professional opinion, the association lends legitimacy toany issue; and WHEREAS, The publication of the study, "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples," thus lends legitimacy to the deviant issue of pedophilia; now,any issue; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature respectfully urges the President and Congress to reject and condemn, in the strongest honorable written and vocal terms possible, any suggestions that sexual relations between children and adults are anything but abusive, destructive, exploitive, reprehensible, and punishable by law; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature condemns anddenounces all suggestions in the recently published study by the American Psychological Association entitled "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples," that indicates sexual relationships between adults and "willing" children are less harmful than believed and might even be positive for "willing" children; and be it furtherdenounces the conclusions of, and any and all persons or organizations who would utilize, the recently published study entitled "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples," which advocate that sexual relationships between adults and children are not harmful and are even positive for children; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature encourages competent investigations to continue to research the effects of child sexual abuse using the best methodology so that the public and public policymakers may act upon accurate information; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature requests that the American Psychological Association denounce the report it recently published regarding child sexual abuse; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Legislature requests that the American Psychological Association repudiate and disassociate itself from any organization or publication that advocates sexual interaction between children and adults and any study that suggests or otherwise claims that sexual relationships between adults and children are not harmful; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature requests California defense attorneys and California courts to disregard the study when dealing with cases involving child abuse and child molestation; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Governor of California, the majority leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.