Father Blasts Dad Of Stanford Rapist In Emotional Letter

In a polarizing rape case, the father of the convicted rapist pled with a judge to keep his son's sentence short, saying his life shouldn't be altered all because of "20 minutes of action."

Now, another dad's emotional message to that father is the latest piece of the case to capture national attention.

Under the headline, "To Brock Turner’s Father, From Another Father," John Pavlovitz, a pastor and blogger in North Carolina, put Brock Turner's father on blast for seeming to apologize for his son's actions.

"This is why young men continue to rape women," Pavlovitz wrote.

"This is why so many men believe that they can do whatever they please to a woman’s body without accountability.

"This is the reason so many victims of sexual assault never step forward.

"This is why white privilege is real and insidious and usually those with it are oblivious to it."

His letter has been shared more than 10,000 times on Facebook and has more than 500 reader comments on it. Pavlovitz even appeared on CNN to discuss it Wednesday.

Turner's rape case made news first because he was a star swimmer for Stanford University. Then, after he was found guilty for raping an intoxicated student behind a dumpster but only sentenced to six months in jail, the victim's powerful statement became a rallying cry for rape victims and activists across the country and world.

Stanford Woman to Attacker: 'I Don't Want My Body Anymore'

After the sentencing was handed down, a letter from Turner's father to the judge became public. In it, he said his son no longer enjoys ribeye steaks or his favorite snacks.

"He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile,” Turner's father wrote. “His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite.”

Pavlovitz, a father himself with a young son and daughter, took exception.

"I imagine this young woman had favorite snacks and sports too, and parents who had wonderful plans for her that didn’t include this nightmare," he wrote. "There is no scenario where your son should be the sympathetic figure here. He is the assailant. He is the rapist. I can’t imagine as a father how gut wrenching such a reality is for you, but it is still true."

Read his letter in full here.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Facing 10 Years In Prison, Former Stanford Swimmer Sentenced To 6 Months In Jail
• Stanford Woman to Attacker: 'I Don't Want My Body Anymore'
• Father of Convicted Swimmer Blames '20 Minutes of Action'
• Online Petition Calls For Removal Of Judge In Stanford Sentencing

Image via John Pavlovitz, Twitter