---

Doctorate Degree Awarded for Thesis Defending Pedophilia

LONDON, December 3, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Richard Yuill, awarded a doctorate degree from Glasgow University this week, argued in his doctoral thesis that sex between children and adults is sometimes a positive experience for the children.

The assumption has been challenged by sex abuse experts, who say the work could add fuel to the arguments of pedophiles who say that their abusive acts are consensual, and that they are not harming anyone.

"The conclusions are that in such relationships I think you've got the good, the bad and the ugly, and that's where I stand on that," Yuill said, as reported by the UK's ultra-liberal newspaper, The Guardian.

"Whatever his intention, one of the things we know about sexual offenders is that they seize on this kind of thing and use it to support their position," said Warwick University senior lecturer in social work, Chris Harrison.

Yuill, who referred to himself as a "boylover" in his interviews with pedophiles, says his work could challenge the UK law that prohibits sexual relations between adults and children under 16 years of age. Sex abuse experts and those who created the law say children are incapable of offering consent to sexual relations with an adult.

"The only thing I'm reporting is that the research findings do not concur with that overall picture," Yuill said. "A number of respondents would concur with the law ... but others found positive experiences or at least what I'd call neutral."

Glasgow University defended its decision to award the thesis. It argued that there was nothing criminal in Yuill's views.

Read Guardian coverage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/child/story/0,7369,1364313,00.html

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Report: Canada A Haven For Pedophiles
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/nov/00112005.html

Action item: to read more about the conference and to get a copy of the
Declaration, go to:
http://www.dicf.org.qa/english/documents/doha_declaration/index.html

tv

 Back to Top

---

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.