Several years ago while I was still in practice I had the difficult task of taking care of a pregnant 9 year old child. She was a victim of sexual abuse from a family member. The interaction with the child's mother further complicated the situation because of her lack of empathy regarding her daughters situation. Her concerns were more about the police investigation and the turmoil that would soon follow. There would be a paternity test with the birth of the baby and that information would provide the authorities a direction in which to take. She did not seem to be angry that her daughter was a victim of pedophilia. She had blinders on and was in a state of denial like I had never seen before. Meanwhile the innocent child had a look of total emptiness that was hard to miss.

The whole situation seemed surreal at the time and I could not understand why there were no family members stepping up and screaming out for justice for the child. Perhaps they were afraid for their own safety. In my opinion there is no excuse for saying and doing nothing when the truth is staring you right in the face.

You may wonder what brought this part of my past back into the present provoking me to write about it.

This morning Truthstream Media shared a video and what I saw caused the memory of that sad 9 year old flooding back into my mind. The look of the eyes, the voice, and the hollow demeanor were there staring right back at me as if the person in the video was my pregnant 9 year old patient.

Sad, calm Feldman telling Barbara Walters, “I’m saying . . . the people that did this to both me and Corey, that are still working, they’re still out there and they’re some of the richest, most powerful people in this business. And they do not want me saying what I’m saying right now.”

Walters fairly clutches her pearls. “Are you saying that they’re pedophiles?” she asks.

“Yes,” Feldman says. As he went on to warn parents of hopeful children, Walters chastised him.

“You’re damaging an entire industry!” she said.

Not being a Hollywood buff I could not say who Corey Feldman was, but I feel that I can say that he is a victim of sexual abuse. There could not be any gain on his part sharing the embarrassment and pain he suffered as a child. Yet he has been criticized, and insulted by many for speaking out. There is no "#" movement to protect the children in the entertainment industry.

But, I find it curious that today so many are speaking out and supporting the victims of the abuse perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein. Women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted to write two words on Twitter: “#Me too.” In fact, there is now a nationwide #METOO campaign to support and bring awareness to this issue.

Why are these abuse situations different? In my opinion child abuse is much more horrific. Instead people protect the abusers, just like Barbara Walters and the family of my pregnant 9 year old patient. Will people now believe Corey Feldman about Hollywood abusers?

When will people stop supporting an industry that preys on children?

As my thoughts turn back to my young patient I can't help but wonder where she is today and how her life has been. She did not deserve what had happened to her. She should have had her family stand up and fight for her, not just those of us in the medical profession.