Jessa Duggar’s brother is under fire lately. When allegations surfaced about Josh Duggar having molested five girls when he himself was only 14, the blood was in the water.
Now Jessa Duggar’s father-in-law, Michael Seewald, is speaking out.
We’ve heard from Michael Seewald before, when he doubled down on Michelle Duggar’s condemnation of LGBT folks, calling homosexuality “an abomination.”
This time, Michael Seewald wants the public and the press to back off on Josh Duggar.
“Finally, the Duggar family’s opponents have found what they have been eagerly waiting for: shocking revelations of scandal by Jim Bob and Michelle’s firstborn son, Josh.”
He laughs off notions that the Duggar’s were too strict on Josh, Jessa, and the other kids.
“They think that had he access to sex education by Planned Parenthood, been allowed to watch edgy Hollywood films, been encouraged to experimentation with a girlfriend, or gotten free condoms from the local school nurse, then none of this would have happened.”
If the Duggars werent famous Josh Duggar would just be some sick scum. But since there's $$$ and white privilege involved it's all different
— alexis isabel (@lexi4prez) May 28, 2015
Many have said that the victims of Josh Duggar’s actions are being overlooked. Michael Seewald touched on that, as well.
“The victims of Josh’s actions should not be lost in all of this. Sadly, this type of thing is all too common. Victims of sexual abuse of any kind often suffer greatly for many years as a result of these sins. We should not downplay the seriousness of these offenses particularly, nor gloss over the pain and confusion they often bring, sometimes for a lifetime.”
He addressed the victims even more pointedly with this:
“Finally, a word to the millions of muted victims of sexual abuse all over the world. It is not your fault. No matter what the abuser may have said, you are not the one to blame. Do not keep silent if you are being abused, tell someone you trust, a parent, a teacher, a friend, anyone is better than silence. You are likely not the only one who has been abused. Tell someone so that they will be stopped. If the person you tell doesn’t contact the right people to help, tell someone else. Stay away from the abuser if at all possible, or avoid being alone with them. If the abuser is in your family, you may feel conflicted. You may love this person and can’t understand why they are hurting you. No matter how much you love the abuser you must tell someone. Remember, it is never okay for someone to treat you that way even if they are a parent, a sibling, or a friend. There are many people who will help you if you just break the silence.”
To those who say "Josh Duggar is as flawed as any of us", I'm pretty sure most people have never abused siblings. Just stop.
— Liberal Librarian (@Lib_Librarian) May 28, 2015
