Proposal for Regulated Pedophile Sexual Activity: the "Alternative Sexuality Exploration Initiative" Pilot Program
August 7, 2035
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not many years ago pedophilia was the worst thing you could admit to. Not even mass murder elicited the same gut-level revulsion and horror. Simply possessing child pornography was a crime punishable by decades in prison and a lifetime of social death on the sex offender registry. Just talking about pedophilia in psychotherapy was often a ticket to an investigation by police. Over the past 15 years, people have began to accept the existence of non-offending pedophiles, and although progress has been slow and grudging, they have earned a place as a tolerated minority. But society is no more accepting of child molestation than it ever was. Acceptance of pedophiles depends entirely on their never expressing their desires with children.
Depression among pedophiles is rampant — they have the highest suicide rate of any identified group. The most common reason for severe depression is simply that they must go through life without ever experiencing a satisfying sexual or romantic relationship. There are of course therapeutic approaches to help them deal with this situation, but it is a life limitation that is very hard for a young man to accept. The desire for sex is in some ways stronger than the desire to live.
Five years ago the "Smith Commission" was charged with investigating how to improve the lives of pedophiles. It was composed primarily of scientists. One focus of their work was an examination of exactly what harm there is in adult-child sexual activity, with the hope of finding some limited ways that pedophiles could be allowed ethically to live out their fantasies without harming children.
After much study, the Commission made a recommendation which we are planning to accept. We are ready to implement a pilot program where selected pedophiles are matched with children who volunteer for sexual activity. This will be repugnant to many people, who continue to believe that sexual activity is inherently harmful to kids. And while there is potential danger, the Commission concluded that the danger can be sharply reduced.
What's in it for the children? The first rule is that the child must volunteer at every step of the way. Yet we are ruling out children who have a budding sex drive and doing our best to rule out any "quid pro quo" arrangement where the child gets something in return for sex. What is left? The right motivation is compassion; adults understand the pedophile's pain at never having a rewarding sexual relationship. Even young children can understand the appeal of physical affection and realize that people don't want to be lonely. Children like to feel they are useful and can help others. We often go to some lengths to make children feel their contribution is more important than it objectively is. In this case they can make a truly unique contribution. No older person can provide what these young girls will be providing.
Until now, any risk has been judged to be unacceptable, as the sexual satisfaction of pedophiles was considered to be of no positive worth (in the past, and among many today, it is considered to be of negative value). The premise of the program is that there is a positive value to such satisfaction, and a large benefit to pedophiles is worth a small risk of minor psychological discomfort to children.
END OF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
***
${name} was quite excited to have been one of the lucky few chosen to test the latest government pilot program before it was rolled out en masse. He could hardly contain his emotions at the prospect of seeing a little girl up close for the first time in many years. When he got a phone call asking if he wanted to participate he answered immediately, saying he'd do anything to have a chance to meet a child. It turned out that his assigned companion was eight years old. The perfect age, ${name} mused, old enough to be able to have coherent conversations with, but not too old as to have been indoctrinated with the last half a century of media brainwashing. A soft rap at the door indicated the social worker had arrived to pick ${name} up and drive him to a facility to meet the young girl for the first time. ${name} had been told that — if everything went well — eventually he'd be able to meet her at places other than the government facility, and even take her on pseudo dates, though those of course would also be chaperoned.
After some time, they arrived at the facility, and the social worker showed ${name} inside, through the lobby and to a room which stood in stark contrast to the rest of the cold, uninviting facility. It was a small room, but large enough to fit two people comfortably, and it was decorated and furnished to match the tastes of an average eight year old girl. The room put ${name} immediately at ease, which, he supposed was largely the point. A few minutes later the door opened and she walked in: a cute and innocent looking girl dressed in a colorful sundress. Her long blonde hair flowed freely over her shoulders, and her big blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. The moment they met ${name}'s she broke out into an ear-to-ear grin, which only grew wider when he smiled back.
The social worker motioned for her to sit in a comfortable looking chair opposite ${name}, and took a seat in the corner of the room. Though the young girl was within in arm's length of him, ${name} knew he wasn't allowed to touch her during their first meeting.
"Hi Mister, I heard you're really sad; you can talk to me about it, so maybe I can help." She spoke softly, almost timidly, yet with an air of confidence that belied her age. ${name} couldn't help but smile at her kind demeanor. "Hi, I'm ${name}, what's your name?" "I'm Emily," she replied, her happy smile enough to entrance even the most cynical adult. They started off simply, by chatting about each other's favorite colors and hobbies, and after a little while ${name} began to open up to her about his affliction. "