Mackenzie Phillips : After Abortion,....

[bliss_eternal]

...'I never let him touch me again'


Mackenzie Phillips told Oprah on her show today that her sexual relationship with her father -- Mamas and the Papas founder John Phillips -- began in a blackout and lasted a decade.

I think a lot of girls who grew up in those years could say the same, just not about their dad.

But Mackenzie insists the affair ended when she became pregnant and didn't know who the father was. Suspecting it was her dad's, she had an abortion -- that John Phillips paid for -- and "and I never let him touch me again."

But Mackenzie insists the affair ended when she became pregnant and didn't know who the father was. Suspecting it was her dad's, she had an abortion -- that John Phillips paid for -- and "and I never let him touch me again."

Mackenzie said the sexual relationship, although she believes it became consensual, was "an abuse of power" and "a betrayal" on her father's part. She says she forgave him on his deathbed.

"I can't be the only one this has happened to," Phillips said. "Someone needs to put a face on consensual incest."


-------------snip-------------


excerpted from:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/09/after-mackenzie-phillips-abortion-i-never-let-him-touch-me-again.html

above is taken from an la times blog



An actual article regarding this issue (linked w/in above on site):



Mackenzie Phillips to Oprah: Decade of Sex with Father Ended with Abortion

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/mackenzie-phillips-to-opr_n_296431.html





----------Note--------------
I realize this is dated material. I purposely waited to post on this issue. I realized the subject matter is controversial (and sensational given celebrity involvement). My hope was to avoid attracting any w/strong feelings and a need to "share," to this forum. Sincere apologies. :hi:

[bliss_eternal]

1. This is why....

...I will never support "parental notification" on any level, in the state of California (or anywhere else). This is but one reason why, Choice is so important to me.

If this could happen to someone with wealth and fame, imagine all the young girls and women it happens to who live in poverty, are middle class, etc. They need abortion to be legal, safe and available without parental consent. Every parent who is an abuser, isn't going to be as "cool" with their victim aborting as John Phillips apparently was (scumbag).

Also, I'd like to say that I disagree with the statement "consensual incest." :grr::mad:
Everytime I see this referred to as a "sexual relationship", I am filled with anger and rage. This was nothing short of rape and years of molestation.

While Mackenzie may have reached a point where she didn't actively fight him off (or refuse his advances), I believe this was based in the abuse of power he held over her (as her parent). Every adult child has a part of them that reverts to a small child and is obedient to their parent (in some things). When an adult child has grown up under the umbrella of abuse, there is an unspoken sense of "not wanting to displease, disobey or destroy" that relationship, whatever kind of relationship it is. It is a complicated and complex issue, I sincerely hope some trained professionals (psychological sexual abuse community) will address.

I feel that Mackenzie Phillips is taking way too much responsibility for what happened to her. Her father completely betrayed her trust. He totally abused his authority as her parent, by introducing her to drugs (he shot her up at 13 or 15), and later raping her. None of this was ever her fault (imho).

I'm grateful to Mackenzie Phillips for putting a courageous human face, on this horrible crime of secrecy. I imagine the hundreds to thousands of women (and girls) that will be helped by this. But I have to say, my heart absolutely broke hearing her speak of this. :cry:

[Kerrytravelers]

5. This is precisely why I always vote NO on any of those parental notification ballot initiatives.

[wildflower]

2. Wow, I hadn't heard this

None of the news items I heard about her book mentioned the abortion.

I'm really sad about this; what makes me saddest is the response I'm seeing - this is among liberals - where people are "calling B.S.," accusing her of just wanting to make money, etc.

[bliss_eternal]

3. i agree...

...i was kind of surprised (but not tremendously). considering how many liberals treat issues like rape and assaults against women like "she was asking for it." :eyes: or any other pathetic meme that blames the victim.

i saw similar tripe after anita hill, stood up against clarence thomas. as if a woman would put herself through such a thing, for any of the reasons people accused anita hill of.

no one says such things, just to sell a book. anyone thinking such things....well, they have issues.
i'm so sad for mackenzie, and what she endured. and what she is facing now.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Girl and adult

MacKenzie Phillips Always reminded me of certain women I knew on the street. The ones in the vortex, not these 'empowered' ones I keep hearing about, no. The women who stagger in off the street no longer in control of their own bodies, much less their own sexuality. The ones who've been sold by their mothers or fathers, the ones who started out in Porn as kids, the ones who performed sexual acts with their mothers as prostitutes.

I'm not exaggerating, not even a little bit. You come from a certain place, or work in certain fields and you know about these stories and worse.

Recently, I had a conversation with a co-worker who worked as public health nurse in Canada on a Reserve. She said that incest was so prevalent, that when one women she cared for talked about the trauma of the experience to peers, she got the response of "Oh Honey, is that all? That happens to EVERYBODY, you need to get over THAT. (Which put me in mind of my old running partner, a prostitute, who had been raped several times. It pissed her off, but she said something to the effect of "I don't understand getting all traumatized about it, It happens" My friend, Maria--who is probably dead-- did not have a good life despite her emotional toughness)

I've seen miracles out of some of these women I've known, but far more often I see disease and death. I don't know what Ms. Phillips live much have been like, but I think she suffered similar damage despite fame and presumably more comfortable surroundings.

How she was able to pull out of it with any coherency, I don't know. We get long term junkies on my unit in their 30's with brain damage or "borderline personality disorder traits" That have no grasp on behavior or consequences of behavior. It's one of the saddest things I see, once I clear out my own tendency to judge. These are human beings who are difficult to care for, and sometimes care about.

Anyway, I agree with you Bliss. A young woman should be able to access reproductive health as soon as she can become pregnant. (As well as before) She's entitled to full services including abortion with full choice and accurate information. Woman, until science works some reproductive miricle will continue to bear the future using thier own bodies. You'd think we'd be respected and honored for our sacrifice when we do decide to have children and even more honored for our sometimes agonized choices when we decide not to.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. That was a very poignant and informative post, thanks. n/t