Jurisprudence

Team Child Sexual Abuser. Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images. Screenshot via Vivek for Ohio.

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When I first met my late husband, I was shocked to learn that he was estranged from his mother. He seemed so family-oriented, and he was warm and receptive to my own mom. If I’m being honest, the estrangement raised a red flag. Was he difficult to get along with? Was he putting on an act with my mother? But months into our relationship, he revealed a dark secret that helped explain things: His stepfather had sexually abused him for years, starting when he was 13. He had been afraid to come forward at the time, but later in life, after years of therapy and his stepfather’s death, he told his mother.…