Common Threads Amongst Most Sexual Abusers and Victims

In observing the tragedy arising out of the sexual abuse and violations of trust by Jeffrey N. McAllister at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, as a long-term lawyer for victims of sexual abuse, I am struck by the following ironies and parallels

• Sexual violations of this type are almost always violations of trust, or boundaries, or both.
• Sexual violations of this type are almost always serial in nature, in other words, there always more than one victim.
• Sexual violations are always in secret, this is why there are no witnesses, and why victim feel alone. They think they’re the only ones.

As a sexual abuse attorney for almost 20 years now, I have seen this scenario play out in hundreds of cases involving children and priests, boys and scout leaders, students and teachers, doctors and patients, law enforcement and citizens—anywhere where there is a relationship of power and trust.

The tragedy of the story of Jeff McAllister and his devastation of the lives of his victims is not over, but thankfully, the secret part of it is over.