To be disgusted that Dr Christian Jessen considers some kinds of child rape to be morally excusable on cultural grounds

[frankexchangeofviews]

I’ve just seen this exchange between ‘tv celebrity’ doctor Christian Jessen and an other Dr who is a spokesman for the Green Party on twitter. Are they saying what I think they are saying? Child’s marriage is recognised as a crime worldwide that needs to be stopped , not condoned on the basis of cultural relativism. Maybe they think african girls don’t mind as much???? Or are happy to be mothers at 13. I can’t get my head around it at all.

[JessieMcJessie]

By the same token that would make FGM OK because it’s a cultural thing, right?

[FranticallyPeaceful]

You need to go read the whole thing because you’ve totally taken this out of context from what I’ve seen.

[Motherofallbeasts]

He is an awful misogynist - it doesn’t surprise me at all.
There is a wide spread view that ‘brown/black’ women don’t deserve the same protections that white women do and it is utterly disgusting.

[Ghanagirl]

He's completely misguided.
Girls aged 13 are not ready to be mothers wherever they live and the evidence is overwhelming as they and there babies are at greater risk of dying in childbirth.
If they manage to survive are mote likely to be poor, the list of consequences goes on.

[ScrubTheDecks]

Reply "Yes, it is a geopoltical, sociological and philosophical question, and the question is "how do men , the world over, tend to impose their moral and cultural demands on young girls, before they are even fully grown".

[Fattymcfaterson]

I kind of understand the point he's trying to make, they are both pedophiles, but are they both is the same sense?
A cultural tradition will have pressure from the community and family etc to get married whereas a pedophile in the normal sense is acting entirely off their own backs.

[IronMansIronButt]

yeah, you didn't get what he said at all, so go be disgusted about something else that you probably get wrong too

[frankexchangeofviews]

That's what I thought initially when I first saw it but then I saw his approving response to what the other doctor said i.e. that by objecting to girls being forced to marry men three times their age that we are indulging in colonial moralism or something.

Frantically - what on earth was the 'context' that gives this a different meaning to what it seems to mean?

[TERFragetteCity]

Adrian Harrop campaigns for Labour - he is not a non-red party spokesperson although does advocate death threats as a learning tool for women.

They are both dreadful misogynists.

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

Child marriage is wrong. I wish we could stop the "cultural" hand wringing when it comes to these kinds of things.
Treating women as less than men or as property is wrong. That's where a lot of this stems from.
And people say we don't need feminism any more.

[charlestonchaplin]

Vesicovaginal fistulas are a problem in African communities where early marriage is common, which often makes the girls outcasts (constantly leaking urine), so it isn't just a question of cultural issues. There are probably other medical issues as well.

[OohMavis]

Just another rape apologist.

[TatianaLarina]

Doctors of all people should know the higher risks for teenage pregnancies for mother and baby. Teenage bodies are not fully developed.

[IronMansIronButt]

Nowhere does he condone it or say its ok. He's saying that there are complex questions of culture, religion, history and colonialism that all influence the treatment of such things. You have zero hope of reducing /ending child marriage if you don't attempt to understand why it happens where it happens, and how it is treated culturally.

He's completely correct, and you should take his advice: a little critical thinking goes a long way!

[PlowerOfScotland]

They're just so "woke" aren't they.

[Juells]

@FranticallyPeaceful

You need to go read the whole thing because you’ve totally taken this out of context from what I’ve seen.

I can see why you chose your name 😂

Frantically peaceful in the face of vile misogyny and ignoring the rights of 12-year-old girls. But vile misogyny and ignoring the rights of 12-year-old girls and grown women is nothing new from the TRAs, it's just par for the course.

[OohMavis]

What with this and suggesting we show porn to a classroom full of children for 'context', he's really nailing his colours to the mast.

[Juells]

you should take his advice

It'd be a cold day in hell before I'd take advice from either of those doctors.

[SeahorsesAREhorses]

Ah, cool lefty dudebros, so progressive, not misogynistic at all.

[IronMansIronButt]

Can anyone show where in that exchange anyone says child marriage is OK? Or not a bad thing?

[ethelfleda]

You have zero hope of reducing /ending child marriage if you don't attempt to understand why it happens where it happens, and how it is treated culturally

Well said

[IronMansIronButt]

It'd be a cold day in hell before I'd take advice from either of those doctors

So you're not going to attempt any critical thinking? Well, ok, but what use are you to anyone then?

[TatianaLarina]

a little critical thinking goes a long way!

Indeed, so why not try it? We all know it’s traditional within certain cultures, so is FGM. We know why they happen. Doesn’t make it ok.

[LunaTrap]

Dr Christian is a misogynistic prick. Some of his gems on twitter including shaming a woman for considering abortion and encouraging his followers to pile onto a woman who admitted to struggling with motherhood. I'm just relieved that the nearest he gets to patients these days is giving out advice in Closer magazine because I would pity any woman who had him as her GP.

[charlestonchaplin]

I don't think that's quite right Tatiana. The human body is designed to cope with pregnancy best at younger ages, including the later teen years. The main reason for discouraging teen pregnancies is to promote education and emotional development.