Guilt by Accusation

The recent resurgence of sexual abuse accusations against Woody Allen by his former adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, brings back an old convoluted scandal from 20 years ago. Mia Farrow, who had a relationship with Allen from 1982 to 1980, adopted Dylan and 10 other children, in addition to 4 biological children she has birthed over the years. In 1987, Farrow gave birth to a son Ronan, who was presented as the son of Woody Allen, but Farrow now claims he's actually the son of Frank Sinatra, to whom Farrow was married from 1966 to 1968 and who was 30 years older than Farrow.

Concerning the allegations made by Dylan Farrow, she was examined by a medical team who concluded that the allegations were untrue. Even though we've been told to "Believe the Victim," we should keep in mind that these cases are extremly complex, and we should be very reluctant to condemn people wihtout conclusive evidence. In added twist, another of Farrow's adopted sons, Moses, not only denies Dylan's accusation but also claims that Mia herself was often physically abusive toward her children. And we must believe the victims, right?

The question of sexual abusive has been plaguing the legal system since the 1980's when the McMartin case in California first led us to believe there were pedophiles under every bed, only to have the charges collapse when brought to the light of day. We could make a major research project about people who have been convicted of sexual abuse, and then the convictions have been overturned. In all matters we should not assign guilt simply on the basis of an accusation.