In the wake of Josh Duggar’s arrest on two counts of child pornography, a number of questions continue to circulate around all who are following this case:
Will the former reality star really go to jail?
Based on his past, should his family members have seen this coming?
Was it really Josh who allegedly downloaded over 200 images of minors as young as five years old… or could it have been a co-worker at his old car dealership?
Perhaps most pressing and confounding of all, however, is the following topic:
After ALL her husband has done and ALL her husband has put her through, how the heck is Anna Duggar still with this man?
Far too many observers of the situation think they have it all figured out.
They think there’s only one real answer to this inquiry, and it’s the answer that’s so often in the middle of various controversies, scandals and questionable decisions…
… money.
Anna must be greedy, right?
She must crave the fame and fortune that come along with the Duggar name and must be willing to put up with anything (seriously, literally ANYthing) in order to reap all the rewards of her seemingly unhealthy marriage.
To anyone making this case, there’s really only a single appropriate response.
Are you effin kidding?!?
First, what possible perks do you think a Duggar in-law can enjoy?
By all accounts, she lives in a warehouse on the property of Jim Bob and Michelle; it’s anything but luxurious.
Her husband hasn’t held down a job in years and she lost her own job as a 19 Kids and Counting cast member due to Josh confessing in 2015 to having inappropriately touched his own sisters when he was 14.
What about the money coming in from the spinoff, Counting On?
By certain accounts, Jim Bob is taking it all and keeping it for himself, stealing millions from his own children.
Even if this allegation is false, Anna certainly hasn’t seen a penny from the show, considering she never appears on it.
In the end, based on everything we know about Josh Duggar and his controlling parents, there’s only one conclusion that can be drawn:
Anna Duggar is a victim of abuse.
She was 19 years old when she married Josh, and she’s now pregnant with her seventh child at age 32.
Do the math and this means she’s had a baby in her womb for nine months, every two years, for 13 years now.
Do you think this is by choice?
Or, as Jill Duggar just came out and admitted to the world, do you think Jim Bob and Michelle make it clear that all women who marry into their clan MUST procreate all times… at all costs?
“Growing up, it was ingrained in me that if you don’t have as many kids as you’re able to, that there’s something wrong with that,” Jill just told People Magazine this week.
Anna, remember, also comes from a very strict and very conservative family.
She met Josh as a teenager at a homeschooling convention and married him in a televised ceremony, from which his mother and father could profit.
Per family rules, of course, Anna and Josh were not allowed to kiss or display affection of almost any kind until they had exchanged vows.
This is someone who was raised and groomed to believe that a woman’s place isn’t just at home; it’s to obey every whim of her husband and to grant him as many kids as humanly possible.
Did Anna have any opportunity to discover herself? To evolve as a person and/or to figure out what she truly wants before she was essentially given away by her family?
Before she could legally drink, Anna was a mother.
Even AFTER Josh admitted to molesting little girls and AFTER he also admitted to having cheated on her many times, Anna welcomed two kids and is now expecting another with this same husband.
Because she’s just so forgiving and she can see past these incomprehensible, endless array of sins… or because she’s been brainwashed to believe this is her only lot in life?
Do you really think Anna has any power here?
It’s extremely safe to assume she signed a prenuptial agreement back in the day.
It’s equally safe to assume that it’s been made clear to her that if she tries to leave Josh… if she even utters a single negative word about him… that she’ll be disowned and disparaged by the Duggars.
She’ll be left with seven kids under the age of 12, with no place to live and no money to her name.
This is a form of abuse.
She’s been emotionally abused and manipulated for years.
She’s a member of a cult who likely believed, back when she entered it, that the cult would keep her safe and protected and make her feel loved and give her a purpose in life.
This, tragically, is why so many insecure and lost people around the world so often fall prey to such dangerous traps.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” Josh said in 2015 after the public learned about his infidelity.
“While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the Internet and this has become a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
Months prior to this confession, it came out that Duggar had allegedly fondled the breasts and genitals of several victims while they slept in the family’s home.
Anna has said she was aware of the allegations against her husband when she accepted his proposal, but believed he had “humbled himself before God.”
And now here we are.
Josh Duggar may go to jail for 40 years because he downloaded material of sexual abuse involving kids as young as 18 months old.
Even after learning that federal agents were investigating him for this crime, Josh impregnanted Anna.
Because someone with his backgrund and his apparent sexual desires really loves his wife and because he’s truly committed to a family that continues to grow every 24 months or so?
And Anna went along with it because she’s so strong and insightful and forgiving and is willing to look past crimes that are truly as heinous as one can imagine?
Sure, you can believe that if you want to.
Or you can believe that Anna felt she had no choice, nowhere to turn and nowhere to go if she didn’t do exactly as Josh and his parents said.
If the accusations against Josh are true, there are a number of victims out there affected by his despicable actions.
But let’s not lose sight of the most prominent victim of all, the person who deserves every ounce of sympathy you have to muster:
Anna Duggar.