September 5, 2007
A Compilation of Quotes: Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)
Posted by evanlee21 under Parental Alienation Syndrome
“Domestic violence is about control, not anger. Once a victim says ‘I’m leaving
you,’ the last thing the batterer has over the victim is the children,” Katie Foster, regional training coordinator
for the family violence division of the Dallas County district attorney’s office. Family
violence issue at seminar: Dallas: Parental alienation syndrome leads conference.
The Dallas Morning News (10-27-2006).
“Domestic violence is about control,
not anger. Once a victim says ‘I’m leaving you,’ the last thing the batterer has over the victim is the
children,” Katie Foster, regional training coordinator for the family violence division of the Dallas County district
attorney’s office. Family violence issue at seminar: Dallas: Parental alienation syndrome leads conference. The Dallas Morning News (10-27-2006).
“When
mental health experts or attorneys claim that P.A.S. is a ’syndrome’– knowing full well that it
lacks scientific validity, is the concoction of a disgraced psychologist, and has been soundly rejected by the National Council
of Juvenile and Family Court Judges — that is disingenuous at best and unethical at worst. Moreover, when it is
used as a vehicle to keep children in the custody of men who abuse them, it is also immoral. ” , Randy Burton,
Founder, Chairman and President - Justice for Children. http://www.jfcadvocacy.org/pas.asp
“PAS is not research-based, and it has done a great injustice to the family and the justice system.
The criteria that Dr. Gardner has developed are virtually useless. He operates on the premise that if you say a lie
often enough people will believe it.”, Jon Conte, a psychologist at the University of Washington. “Has
Psychiatry Gone Psycho?” by Kelly Patricia O’Meara. Insight on the News (4-26-199)http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_15_15/ai_54451069/pg_1
“The vast majority of these mothers (97%) reported that court personnel ignored or minimized reports of
abuse. They reported feeling that they were punished for trying to protect their children and 65% said they were threatened
with sanctions if the “talked publicly” about the case. In all, 45% of the mothers say they were labeled
as having Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). The protective parents reported that the average cost of the court proceedings
was over $80,000. Over a quarter of the protective parents say they were forced to file bankruptcy as a result of filing for
custody of their children. Eighty-five percent of the protective parents surveyed believe that their children are
still being abused; however, 63% say they stopped reporting the abuse for fear that contact with their children will be terminated.
Eleven percent of the children were reported to have attempted suicide.” “Myths That Place Children At
Risk During Custody Litigation”. Dallam. S. J., & Silberg, J. L. (Jan/Feb 2006). Leadership Council. Sexual Assault Report, 9(3), 33-47. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/res/cust_myths.html
“In contrast to the empirically
unsupported notion of Parental Alienation Syndrome, these more complex multidimensional models have received preliminary research
support. A comprehensive assessment identifying reasons for rejection is critical, because it provides the basis for appropriate
intervention. If a parent is being rejected primarily for reasons such as moralistic thinking by the children (e.g., tied
to developmental stage), lack of resources (e.g., not as many toys as the other parent’s house), and negative comments
by the custodial parent, then therapeutic intervention to rebuild the relationship between the rejected parent and children
would be indicated. In contrast, if a careful assessment found that rejection was more closely tied to the non–custodial
parent’s history of violence and continued attempts to monitor and harassthe children and primary caregiver, then interventions
to create safety for the children and caregiver would be more important that treating the ‘alienation.’”“Making appropriate parenting arrangements in family violence
cases: applying the literature to identify promising practices. 2005–FCY–3E.” Research Report, Department of Justice, Canada.http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/pad/reports/2005-FCY-3/chap4.html#4_3
“It is also worth noting that Dr. Gardner often expressed disdain for child abuse professionals,
labeling them “validators,” theorizing that greed and desire for increased business prompted some sexual abuse
allegations, and speculating that parents and professionals alike made some false allegations because “all of us have
some pedophilia within us.” “Parental
Alienation Syndrome: What Professionals Need to Know Part 1″. By
Erika Rivera Ragland1 & Hope Fields. http://www.ndaa.org/publications/newsletters/update_volume_16_number_6_2003.html#
“PAS does not meet the courts’ threshold requirement to qualify as scientific. Clearly then, the
offering of PAS to the courts as an explanatory construct, let alone a basis for making recommendation about the future of
children’s lives, does not meet the minimal set of ethical standards incumbent on experts appearing before the court….Because his (Dr. Richard Gardner’s) theories
are based on his clinical observations (not on scientific data) they should be understood in the context of his atypical views
concerning parent child relations..”“Parental
Alienation Syndrome: Frye v Gardner in the Family Courts (Part 2)” By Jerome H. Poliacoff, Ph.D., P.A., Cynthia L. Greene, Esq., and Laura Smith, Esq (Article also
includes alternative factors to PAS, caselaw in various states, and in depth research)http://expertpages.com/news/parental_alienation_syndrome2.htm
Dr. Paul Fink, a professor of psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine and a past president of the
American Psychiatric Association in Arlington, Va quotes on PAS include:“This is junk science”“He (Dr. Gardner) invented a concept and talked as if it were proven science. It’s not.”“There are lots of people who alienate their partners during
a divorce, But it is not a syndrome, a disease or a disorder.”“Richard Gardner and Parental Alienation Syndrome: The debate rages on…”. By Jamie Talan, Newsday.com, July 1, 2003. http://www.ipce.info/library_3/files/pasyndrome.htm
“In 1996 a leading task force of the APA published a widely disseminated and relied-upon report: Titled ‘Violence and the Family,’ written by the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, and published by the American Psychological Association, it is based on a comprehensive review of the literature and research on violence in the family.
The Report states, among other things:
‘When children reject their abusive fathers, it is common for the batterer and others to blame the mother for alienating the children. They often do not understand the legitimate fears of the child. Although there are no data to support the phenomenon called parental alienation syndrome, in which mothers are blamed for interfering with their children’s attachment to their fathers, the term is still used by some evaluators and courts to discount children’s fears in hostile and psychologically abusive situations.” (page 40) “THE TRUTH ABOUT PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME AND THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION”. Statement by Professor Joan S. Meier, Esq. (November 9, 2005). Compiled by Trish Wilson, 2005. Trish Wilson offers alot of articles and resources on her site,http://members.aol.com/asherah/meier1.html
“It is interesting that Gardner advocates severing the relationship between
a child and a mother who he considers to be emotionally abusive, yet he stresses maintaining and building the relationship
whenever possible with fathers who have been found to have sexually abused their child. For example, in reference
to sexually abusive fathers, Gardner (1992b, p. 572) states: “There is no such thing as a parent who is perfect .. The
sexual exploitation has to be put on the negative list, but positives as well must be appreciated (by the child)..”
“The Parental Alienation Syndrome: Is It Scientific?” by Stephanie J. Dallam, RN, MSN, FNP, The
Leadership Council. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/res/dallam/3.html
“WORLD reviewed histories on 13 PAS cases—in California, Texas, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Utah,
and other states. These cases had something in common: documentation. In all 13 cases, court records show the mother had already
been found a fit parent, and was in most cases already the primary custodial parent. In all 13, court-appointed psychologists
ignored children’s testimony of sexual abuse, and in some cases, medical findings of abuse, and even previous sex-offender
violations. And in all 13 cases, court-appointed mediators concluded that the mothers had inculcated PAS in their children
and recommended Dr. Gardner’s standard prescription: to strip custody from the mother and place the child with the father
for ‘deprogramming.’” “Little girls lost?: Embraced in family courts across the country, a
controversial “syndrome” may be placing abused children at risk” by Lynn Vincent. WORLD Magazine
(2-08-2003). http://www.worldmag.com/articles/6825
“PAS has no credibility,
validity or utility in the respective medical or child protection communities and in accordance with the Queensland Supreme
Court ruling, the use of the label in judicial proceedings could be viewed as prejudicial to those proceedings in
the absence of factual evidence and makes a presumption of guilt of the accused residency parent which it is proper for a
Court to decide on the basis of factual evidence.It is seriously flawed reasoning which assumes that a child is being untruthful
about abuse without a very careful and thorough investigation of the child’s allegations and an examination of the corroborative
evidence and that a parent is misrepresenting or falsely presenting the allegations of the child. When children make a report
or disclosure that they have been abused, what they say must never be dismissed, ignored, or disregarded by any adult but
should be carefully listened to and inquiries made to establish corroborative evidence, much of which can be found in changes
in their moods, temperament, and behaviours.”, Charles Pragnell, Expert Witness in Child Protection in the U.K.
and Australasia, and a Child/Family Advocate.”Parental Alienation Syndrome Leading.” Child
WebMag. http://www.childrenwebmag.com/content/view/280
“Parental alienation happens, but there’s no clinical
syndrome you can say in court and get away with. Richard Gardner was a charlatan, and hundreds of women and children
across the country have been damaged because of his crazy idea. PAS is not in the DSM-IV and it never will be.”, Paul
Jay Fink, professor of psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine. When a Bad Divorce Gets Ugly: Baldwin
call may reflect alienation, The San Diego Union-Tribune (5-13-2007). By Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070513/news_1c13alien.html
