How Do You Move On? Understanding the Austrian Incest Case
Dr. Keith Ablow talks about understanding the crimes of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned his 18-year-old daughter and fathered her seven children. He poses this question: Can the children from that union ever be healed?
Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel. His book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty,” is a New York Times bestseller. Check out Dr. Ablow’s Web site at www.livingthetruth.com.












No, they are abominations to this world and to Jesus Christ, our lord and saviour.
They should be stoned or set on fire at the stake immediately.
This man is a extremely sick individual, and deserves to have the full wrath of the Austrian law thrown at him. I would hope that their law includes the death penalty for so grotesque a crime as this.
There are no punishments civilized men are capable of inflicting to match what justice demands be done to this inhuman monster.
Send him to the US prison system and put him in the general population. There exists a “prison justice” system that would properly punish him.
To Bradon, maybe those kids shouldn’t have been but if you know our Lord Jesus Christ you would know He forgives all. Those kids didn’t ask for their lives to be this way but they are here. Hold the criminal accountable, not the victims. Jesus Christ would embrace them and heal their pain. Only insensitive, arrogant humans would blame the victims and suggest stoning them. I pray you will see Christ’s Truth and I pray those innocent children can learn to overcome their tremendous hardships and live a happy, satisfying life. Their poor mother…I can’t even imagine her pain she experienced for well over half her life.
Bradon, you are one confused and idiotic person. These poor children cannot help who their parents are. While the father should indeed be punished to the full extent of the law, the children deserve the community’s support and assistance in the horrible situation. Sadly, your lack of compassion and understanding are typical of today’s Christian faith; a faith now based upon the prejudices of the congregation, and not upon Christ’s true teachings. Please seek professional help.
With MASSIVE amounts of therapy, these victims might at least be able to live somewhat tolerable lives. It is a crying shame that this could happen ANY where in this world. I havent read n e thing about any physical handicaps these offspring may have as a result of their genetic background. So if there are any, they will have to deal with the physical as well as the mental problems from this experience. My prayers are with them.
Stephen i think you should leave the christian faith out of your comment because Bradons beliefs do not mirror those of a christian. I am sure you are a non believer that chooses to crucify those that do believe because you are afraid of God. This man is evil and the children that came from what he has done are not to be blamed in anyway for what has happened.
What these people and the rest of the victims of sexual abuse need is not only therapy but an understanding society. The latter which is almost impossible to find.
How utterly disgusting that commentors cannot even answer the question. And with people like the above, no they cannot recover……..ever.
The only way they could ever ‘recover’ is to find an isolated place to live with custodial care, lots of private land around them………..and daily therapy just so they can get thru the next day.
But recover? Come out into the world with you guys????? With only your own special interests in your minds instead of honestly trying to imagine the horror/hell these kids endured?
No, they will never be able to live in this world as adults with normal lives.
You can not blame the children for what has happened to them. They might heal over time but they do not need society judging them. People need to step back and let them be. Crowding them and trying to see them will only harm them. They are not in a show they need privacy and a chance to live the live given to them.
What right does anyone have to say anything about these children. What this man did to his daughter is discusting and he should be held accountable, but if you do not know these children or anything they have gone through how can anyone say they should be put on a island somewhere. You people act like they should be social outcast, beacuse of what this man did to them and that is not fair to the rest of the people involved, it crackes me up that people are quick to judge at the hands of other’s lives maybe they should think about they’re own lives before they say anything about others. Yes I believe they will need alot of therapy, but who’s to say that they WILL NOT be able to handle being in socitey…. People should think before they speak / write….
First, let us forgive this monster father. Only then can society begin to help these children heal. And, pray for the father, for he is surely headed to eternal separation from our Loving God, if he does not repent. And, of course, begin praying for each of these children and their mother. Prayer works, even if it takes years to see the answers.
First off, Brandon does not represent the Christian view. And most congregations would open the arms to the mom and kids. Our savior Christ would hold these children tight and wipe out their pain.
But we live an evil world with crazy people. They won’t ever get over this. I agree with Paul send him to the US Prison system and put him in there with the general population. I’ll gladly give my tax dollars to that!
I know one way we can to help the children…for all who read this blog and believe in prayer …say a prayer for these kids and for the mother who had to endure the unimaginable.
I think with prayer, love, and time they can heal. Just being able to see the light of day and to be able to breathe fresh air is healing. Children are resileant, and will be able to move forward. Not without scars. In my opinion, it will be more difficult for the childrens mother. But in time hopefully she too will be able heal.
Brandon you are a complete and utter ignorant bible thumping misbeliever. They had no control over their life due to a crazy man with morels that dont come far from your own. Roman Catholics used to sell passes to heavan on church steps should we kill all christians because of this? People like you with your close minded I believe because a book that no one can prove told me is what is killing this world, the funny thing is Isalm is the number one religon in the world and yet christians still have such a huge belief and yet can not open their mind like god teaches to the world around them and ask questions with the independancy “he” “gave” you.
I heard the maximum penalty this perp can get is 15 years in prison. Maybe Europeans will rethink their laws for when something this abhorrent happens within their society. Sounds like he had some leftover Hitler ideas in his head from the era he grew up in. From my calculations the area they lived in was about 9feet by 9feet - about the same size as a prison cell. Since he was so horny, maybe spending his life in a nasty prison cell all alone would be best for him, he looked pretty healthy to live about another 20 years. As for the poor family, they should be relocated far far away from there and given lots of care and love - and prayers.
This pervert has a special place waiting for him IN HELL. When (and if) he goes to prison-he will be made to pay for the crimes he committed against his innocent child/daugher/grandchildren/wife. I hope and pray that he has to spend the rest of his life in prison and maybe there he will be made to pay more for his crimes. I pray and hope for peace and healing for his family.
I hope he goes to Prison for life for his sins against his wife/daughter/grandchildren and society. Maybe in Prison-he will be taught some very good lessons from the other inmates. I hope he has to live for the rest of his life in Prison.
This person is not normal as a normal person does not do this sort of thing. I hope he gets life in Prison because in Prison-especially American Prisons-he would be taught a lesson from the other inmates.
For crimes like this, we should bring back the custom of “burning alive” in the public square.
Bradon - I assume you are just trying to stir things up, huh
It is possible for some to heal from this trauma with GOD’s help and after many years of suffering the consequences of this abominable abuse…I speak from personal experience.
That sub-human monster chose NOT to control his urges.
REAL men and women are able to control their desires, sometimes it requires GOD’s help but as GOD is pushed further and further from our lives by Government, other religions, culteral influences we WILL see more of the true human nature emerge.
Look at Thailand.
GOD help us all.
This is in response to the comment left by Brandon on 5-6-08. Is it not the spirit which lives forever? Why then would you say to stone them or burn them? It is not their fault their father was a terrible person. The body does not matter only that it houses the spirit and must be revered for that sake.
You sould like a terrible person as well, how can you even think something like that about these innocients? It is not their fault they were fathered and impresioned by a mad man.
Brandon, how dare you say the name of my lord and savior you sick SOB! You’re not a Christian but a lover of Satan. Now enough about you, you imbecil.
Yes, they will survive this because they have a loving and dedicated mother and family.
Uh concerning Bradon, it’s been awhile but they call them trolls or used to call them trolls. somebody posts (on a message board or forum) an outlandish comment and sees how many comments they can “catch”. Called trolling in comparison to trolling for fish.
so by commenting on Bradon’s post (usually negative but that doesn’t matter) you are actually falling right into his or her net.
The way to combat and defeat the troll is to ignore the post altogether.
*********** Let me find Brandon; I’ll stone him when I do. *********************
Someone should stone and set fire to Brandon immediately. People like him don’t deserve to live in a humane society. Those poor innocent children and their mother. I cry for them.
I pray for these poor dear children and their mother. May God bless them and heal them. I pray they will get all the help and support they need and live a long, healthy and happy life. I pray the mother receives loving care and support and is able to go on to love life and her children. It is not her fault that her father is evil. I truly hope she can find a husband to love her and her children and have a happy family life when she is ready.
This is a horrible story and continues to happen. This man should be fried alive if there was such a law to punish criminals of incest. He is a criminal and deserves to die. If only he could be hung. Or put on the chair with no meds. Obviously, as it is written, he must have been a victim of incest himself and continues the trend. It is not curable from what I have read. Unfortunately, he has ruined so many innocent lives. His daughter and possibly her daughter from him were being abused and raped and I wonder did those kids living in the dungeon hear and see this going on in that little space? If only it is possible I ask, can they castrate him without meds and let him suffer every minute and bleed to death since that is the severest punishment I can think of and how this man deserves to die slowly. To say that he is insane is insane and it is a cop out once again for someone to get away with doing what he did. He cleverly disguised his double life for 24 years! This is not insanity. Insanity plea is the easy way out.
I am not sure if there is a way to completely recover from this short of the mercy and love of God. It would take a lot of love and support from family and friends and so much therapy. But, as stated, children are resilent. I only know that my prayers are with this entire family!
We should pray for the daughter Elisabeth, for her children, for her mother, and all involved. May Christ, the Physician of our souls and bodies heal them. We should pray especially for Josef. May he come to true repentance over the pain he has caused. May the Eternal Father, the Only Begotten Son, and the All-Holy, Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, The One God, have mercy on us all.
How old are the kids? If they are very young then no therapy should be needed because the mother could tell them the father left her when they were babies and the biological sick father would be forgotten as he rots in prison. The local town and media would definately ruin that plan though. The mother will most definately need extensive treatment.
Just another example of liberalism infecting the minds of an entire population of people. Liberals will be popping up all over the place demanding that this ‘man’ be given ‘another chance’, or at the least, 3 hots and a cot for the rest of his life. It’s ironic: even a jail cell would be better than what his daughter and her children had for so long. If there ever was justification for the death penalty, then this is it. But you watch, Europeans liberals will give this monster about 10 years…he’ll be out in 5. I agree with the idea of putting him in a U.S. prison…there he would assuredly receive the punishment he deserves…in about 4 days.
If there ever was an example of the validity, and necessity, of the death penalty, then here it is. But, European libs will demand that this monster be given ‘leniency’. I agree with the idea of putting him in a U.S. prison…there righteous justice will be meted out…and very quickly.
You religious types really need to get together in a pow-wow and figure out what the hell you’re all really doing. Kill the children, dont kill the children, forgive the nutbag father. Make up your damn minds. In my opinion these kids need to see a therapist and get some counceling. As does their mother. Their father needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law! And God or Jesus Christ can stay out of it! Its not a measure of faith or anything its right vs. wrong. And what this guy did was WAY WRONG! Jesus doesn’t need to forgive this idiot, Jesus wasn’t the one locked up being raped and having her dad’s children! His daughter is the only one that matters here, and the million dollar question here is, can she ever forgive him? It’s easy to say that God and Jesus love all and forgive all, but it’s a hell of a lot harder to say that the victim forgives in a situation like this.
This is a very sick man. He needs all our prayers and healing. The more we hate this man the more negative energy is sent out. Justice will prevail - the justice of the courts and the justice of his karma. There is no need to add to the darkness.
I think they will overcome this. The human spirit is much stronger than we give it credit for. With proper counseling and understanding gaurdians who sheild them from the public, these children can and will overcome this. I expect to see these children sent to new and “secret” locations. There names might never be released, and I am sure they will be changed for their owm piece of mind. Nothing heals like obscurity.
the childen should never pay for a man’s crime, including a Father. They will never live a ‘normal’ life because of what the Father did to them, it will always be foremost on their mind. The Father and so many men like him now are so perverted sexually, here and around the world, just read day after day of these sick men! It makes me sick! It appears to get even worse the older they get. They will pay for there sins, no doubt about it but, I’m not the judge nor the jury. But, our laws have got to be better and so does Austria’s and other European laws against since bizzarre behavior.
To Donna: Quote:I truly hope she can find a husband to love her and her children and have a happy family life when she is ready.
Donna, what she needs is God. Only He can heal her wounds.
Have you forgot that children are a gift from God? These children would not have been born except for God, who is in control of everything.
To Steve M:
May 7th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
And God or Jesus Christ can stay out of it! Its not a measure of faith or anything its right vs. wrong.
The law was made for law breakers. Otherwise we would not need laws.
Just so you know, Brandon is not a Christian. He is using “Chrisitan-eze” to stir things up. This is not some minor issue, this is truly a tragedy. The devistation caused by this man is immeasureable and using this as a source of entertainment (Brandon) is dispickable.
Honestly people, are you so easily fooled?
Throw them a Nintendo wii.
To Anita:
May 7th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
“Have you forgot that children are a gift from God? These children would not have been born except for God, who is in control of everything.”
I’m not saying here that these children are an abomination but how can you justify that if God is in control of everything that he/she allowed it to happen. In all seriousness these children should not have been born. I’m not being mean, I’m just stating the obvious. I wonder how many times this guys daughter prayed to “god” asking him to give her a miracle and give her a way out of that dungeon, 24 years and 7 incestuously created children later here we are. Some merciful and loving god you believe in.
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE I wish that we could punish this man the same way as he created for his daugher! Stick him in a dark cell for the rest of his life and have some guy come and visit him from behind a few times a week.