Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1016

Tonight's special guest is Stacey Lannert from St Louis, MO, a returning NAASCA family member who is a child sexual abuse survivor and activist. But she's much more than that. The founder of Healing Sisters, she's also author of "Redemption: A Story of Sisterhood, Survival, and Finding Freedom Behind Bars" where she tells how 10 years of sexual abuse, including rape and sodomy, Stacey and killed her father in 1990. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In January 2009, after 18 years in prison, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt commuted her sentence. He told her he expected her to make a difference with her life. After 18 years in prison, Stacey's now living in St. Louis. She's telling her story so other women can learn from her mistakes. "I created Healing Sisters to allow other sexual abuse victors (we are victors, after all) the opportunity to experience the bond we share and the restoring powers gained from other people who have also suffered," says Stacey. "I believe that every child, woman and man who suffers from sexual abuse becomes a sister because we share a common bond, one of betrayal and suffering. We need one another in order to thrive, and maybe even to survive. I hope in my lifetime we can eradicate, wipe out, and destroy sexual abuse. That surely cannot to be too lofty of a goal, can it? If we communicate, we create. We need to create a safe world for all children."