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When I first met my late husband, I was shocked to learn that he was estranged from his mother. He seemed so family-oriented, and he was warm and receptive to my own mom. If I’m being honest, the estrangement raised a red flag. Was he difficult to get along with? Was he putting on an act with my mother? But months into our relationship, he revealed a dark secret that helped explain things: His stepfather had sexually abused him for years, starting when he was 13. He had been afraid to come forward at the time, but later in life, after years of therapy and his stepfather’s death, he told his mother. She did not believe him, and their relationship never recovered.

Child sexual abuse like what my husband and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton have endured is not rare. As many as 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. Three-quarters of child sexual abuse cases are committed by family members. Most perpetrators are men, commonly stepfathers. Child sexual abuse crosses cultural and economic boundaries, affecting millions of Americans.

Acton’s story reflects these statistics. Her stepfather was indicted for raping her for years, with the sexual abuse beginning when she was 10 years old. After Acton reported the abuse, her mother didn’t believe her, and they have been estranged since she was 12. Last week, nearly 40 years later, Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, called her daughter a liar in an ad paid for by Vivek Ramaswamy,........

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