fficials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attempted to prevent publication of a study which reported on the experiences of Mormon women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse, and later turned to church officials for support. Professors Karen E. Gerdes and Martha N. Beck, then of Brigham Young University -- an LDS institution -- were prohibited from publishing their results, but the study appeared anyway in the Spring 1996 issue of Affilia, Journal of Women and Social Work.

    According to a story appearing in yesterday's edition of the Houston Chronicle, church leaders criticized the study as flawed. Gerdes and Beck found that most of the women survivors "said they had bad experiences when they turned to Mormon clergymen for comfort and counsel," noted Chronicle reporter Paul McKay.

    "For a church that in recent years has faced numerous lawsuits accusing it of harboring, or at least failing to stop, pedophiles in its midst, Gerdes said she believed she and her colleagues were providing some helpful insights," added the paper.

    The study was funded by a grant from the Eccles Foundation, described as "a Mormon entity," and was administered by Brigham Young University's Women's Research Institute. Among the findings:

   ¶    49 of the 71 Mormon women who were described as victims of childhood sexual abuse reported "negative interactions" when they turned to local church bishops for support. These congregational leaders were described as "judgmental," "unbelieving" and even "protective of the perpetrators."

   ¶    Although twelve women reported "positive interactions" with the Bishops, ten chose not to approach the officials at all.

   ¶    The Affilia article reported that 50 of the victims experienced feelings of guilt for being cajoled by "the highest church authorities or local leaders to forgive their perpetrators," and that "the majority of women reported feeling neither protected nor helped in their recovery process."

   ¶    Although the article acknowledged that LDS officials had recently begun to address the problem of childhood sexual abuse within the Mormon subculture, "sexual abuse continues to occur in Mormon families, and there are indications that the words of church leaders may not be trickling down to local lay leaders..."

    Despite yesterday's Houston Chronicle article, though, the fact that the Gerdes-Beck study was being fought by church officials was made public as far back as March, 1996. AANEWS uncovered a document from the Brigham Young University Chapter of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) titled "Limitations on the Academic Freedom of Women at Brigham Young University." It raised 14 separate issues, including many where church and high university officials had intervened to stop the appointment of women scholars who may have expressed opinions, or explored areas, considered taboo or sensitive by the LDS. It noted:

    "In 1995 Professors Karen E. Gerdes and Martha N. Beck were forbidden from publishing the results of their study on the experiences of Mormon women survivors of childhood sexual abuse who asked for help from their Mormon ecclesiastical leaders. In the majority of cases, the advice these victims received was damaging rather than helpful. Both professors have since left the university..."

   One reason why church officials may continue to oppose the distribution of the study is that it has, according to the Chronicle, been used "as legal ammunition" in cases where plaintiffs are suing the Latter-day Saints "alleging a widespread pattern of failures by bishops or other ecclesiastical leaders to report abuses to proper authorities or to obtain proper, professional counseling for victims."

   While Gerdes praised certain steps which LDS officials have taken -- such as the establishment of a hot line for abuse reports -- she noted there are still problems, including the fact that men occupy the key positions within the church hierarchy. Victims, according to Gerdes, might go to these officials and report their experiences, only to be dismissed and told to not worry about the problem -- "since the image of the bishop is next to God, then you don't do anything..."

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