I want to make clear to everyone that I did not post/link to the above article as an excuse for MH's actions. Even the author says possible childhood sexual abuse in no way excuses what MH did, nor does she say that all people who suffer sexual abuse go on to become abusers themselves.
My heart goes out to all, including the posters here, who suffered sexual abuse as a child. You are a survivor of something too horrible for most people to contemplate, and the life you have built, in spite of the trauma you've suffered, is a wonderful testament to how you have overcome a painful past and not visited it upon the next generation.
I want to repeat, not all people who are abused go on to become abusers. However, some who are abused DO become abusers themselves. In addition, as others have pointed out, there are those who sexually abuse others who were never abused themselves. The easy access to child *advertiser censored* through the internet has created a section of our population who have become desensitized to the evil of sexual abuse. Children are dehumanized and become objects of gratification. In time, it's like a drug addict who needs bigger and more powerful hit. After viewing the images over and over, some develop a need to act on what they see in order to get the same gratification. In other words, they go from being passive viewers of molestation to active participants.
It is too simple, and a grave error, to say that the reason a person became a sexual abuser is because they were sexually abused themselves. I am not saying that, and I don't believe anyone here is saying that either. There are many other factors involved, and every individual is too complex for that to be true. As has been stated, many who have been abused do NOT go on to become abusers, and the very thought is abhorrent to them.
Many who survive sexual abuse go through a time of healing and are able to live a life full of love and compassion. Others fall into a downward spiral of self-loathing, drugs, and broken relationships. And then there are those who go on to revisit their own abuse on others. Everyone is different, and how they respond to the abuse in their lives is varied.
MH may, or may not, have suffered childhood sexual abuse. Either way, it does not excuse what she did to Sandra OR adequately explain it. Some people have a difficult time understanding how a female, and a mother, could do such a thing. The article above is relevant because it gives a possible explanation into one of the factors that could create such a mindset.
I appreciate all those here who understood my intent in posting the article. As someone who advocates for abused children, I know too well the horrors they suffer, and I would never excuse ANYONE, including MH, for committing such a terrible crime against an innocent child.