Experts Challenge Alec Baldwin's Book

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November 24, 2008
Domestic violence victim advocacy organizations are challenging actor Alec Baldwin’s new memoir, A Promise to Ourselves, which details his divorce and legal battle over custody. Baldwin claims that he was a victim of ‘parental alienation syndrome’ (PAS) – a controversial theory that argues that one parent, usually the father, is demonized at the hands of another parent, usually the mother, most often through false allegations of abuse. Baldwin is promoting his memoir with a book tour and a series of media interviews. The actor’s bitter custody battle became public knowledge in 2007 when someone leaked a voicemail Baldwin left for his then eleven-year-old daughter in which he called her a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” Baldwin received considerable criticism for the message, and now says he was emotionally and financially drained by the court system and had “snapped.” The media attention for Baldwin’s book has thrust the controversial PAS theory into the spotlight, and victim advocates are speaking out. “PAS was invented to defeat child abuse claims – and it has been remarkably successful in misleading family courts into believing that women who are sincerely trying to protect their children and themselves from abuse, are just seeking to end the children’s relationship with their noncustodial father,” said Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project Executive Director Joan Meier. Advocates say that victims of violence tend to be the ones silenced when PAS is invoked, and that courts handling custody cases often do not understand the dynamics of domestic violence. “The most important factor judges should be weighing in making custody decisions is the safety of the mother and child, and the introduction of PAS overshadows this critical need for safety,” National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Rita Smith said. ‘Parental alienation syndrome’ is not recognized by any professional association and has been rejected by the Presidential Task Force of the American Psychological Association and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.