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	Opinion: Brown’s Abuse Story Has Value beyond Politics The Enterprise February 19, 2011 http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/editorials/x268608634/OPINION-Brown-s-abuse-story-has-value-beyond-politics Pundits can parse the announcement six ways to Sunday, but Sen. Scott Brown’s revelation that he was sexually abused as a boy first and foremost must be measured on what it can do to reduce the stigma that prevents many such victims from seeking the help they need. The Massachusetts Republican is slated to appear on CBS news program “60 Minutes” Sunday to discuss his upcoming book, “Against All Odds.” On Wednesday, the network revealed that during the pre-recorded interview, Brown talked about “physical, psychological and sexual abuse” he suffered as a child. He tells “60 Minutes” anchor Lesley Stahl that he was sexually abused as a child several times by a camp counselor on Cape Cod and was physically abused by a stepfather. Immediately the Internet was abuzz with discussions on the political implications of the announcement. Was the admission – or the use of such a high-profile venue to make it – part of some political calculus? Certainly tell-all memoirs have become de rigueur for anyone considering a run for higher office. Yet whether it’s politically expedient or not, the 51-year-old former state senator has done something potentially inspirational for anyone who has silently suffered similar injustices. He has shown other victims that such incidents do not preclude a rich and rewarding life. More importantly, he has re-enforced the notion that there is no shame – and indeed great potential for healing – in publicly acknowledging what for many is a embarrassing and debilitating secret. Brown told Stahl that until now neither his wife nor his mother knew of this abuse. “That’s what happens when you’re a victim,” he said. The willingness of sex abuse victims to confront such painful parts of their past has become more commonplace in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal as they became increasingly aware of the fact that there are many others shouldering the same burdens they’ve carried. Reflecting on the news, Gov. Deval Patrick said he believes the decision of his wife, Diane, to go public about her battle with depression has helped others and said Brown’s disclosure could have a similar impact. Yes, the news favorably portrays Brown as someone who has overcome great obstacles to achieve great things and it adds to his reputation as someone sympathetic to the most vulnerable people out there. But as long as those weren’t the factors that prompted him to confront this aspect of his past – and there’s nothing to suggest they were – then we should applaud the action and hope that it helps others.
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