No one said that pedophilia is a sexual orientation; it’s a mental disorder. Sexual orientations are not mental disorders.
Being a pedophile is not synonymous with abusing children. Those suffering from pedophilic disorder are capable of not harming children, just as those without pedophilic disorder are capable of sexually abusing children. The disorder and the act of harm are different things.
You can think of it like drug addiction. The urge to use the drug is there, but you still get to choose whether or not you act on it. Choosing the right thing is a lot easier with professional mental care and community support.
Ideally we want to identify and help every pedophile before they abuse a child, and we can’t do that if we conflate them with rapists while they’re still innocent.
No one said that pedophilia is a sexual orientation; it’s a mental disorder. Sexual orientations are not mental disorders.
Being a pedophile is not synonymous with abusing children. Those suffering from pedophilic disorder are capable of not harming children, just as those without pedophilic disorder are capable of sexually abusing children. The disorder and the act of harm are different things.
You can think of it like drug addiction. The urge to use the drug is there, but you still get to choose whether or not you act on it. Choosing the right thing is a lot easier with professional mental care and community support.
Ideally we want to identify and help every pedophile before they abuse a child, and we can’t do that if we conflate them with rapists while they’re still innocent.