Abuse Gattis suffered argues for clemency

DELAWARE
The News Journal

Written by
SISTER MAUREEN PAUL TURLISH

Delaware is scheduled to execute Robert Gattis on Jan. 20. Mr. Gattis admitted he killed Shirley Slay in May of 1990. He has petitioned for clemency in part because of the repeated sexual abuse he suffered as a child, beginning as early as age 3.

Experts have called the abuse “catastrophic” and found that it caused profound psychological damage that was directly linked to Mr. Gattis’ impaired thinking and behavior on the day of the tragic killing.

Questions have arisen about the truthfulness of Mr. Gattis’ sexual abuse claim because he did not report the abuse sooner. I write to answer those questions.

As a member of the Voice of the Faithful and a founding member of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, organizations dedicated to supporting individuals who were sexually abused as children, I know what experts in the field have all acknowledged: Sexual abuse survivors, particularly men, are extremely reluctant to disclose their abuse.

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