Anthony Weiner's Sexting Has Nothing To Do With Huma Abedin's Parenting Skills
One of Weiner's pictures features his 5-year-old son, which is reprehensible and beyond inappropriate—but how is that in any way his wife's fault?
By Nina Bahadur
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: Huma Abedin, aide to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, arrives at a closed door hearing on Capitol Hill October 16, 2015 in Washington, DC. Abedin is beingÊinterviewed by the House Select Committee on Benghazi. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)Getty Images
ICYMI, former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner has been caught sending inappropriate sexts to women a few times now. Back in 2011, he resigned from Congress after accidentally posting an explicit picture of himself as a public Twitter message to another woman. Weiner, who had been married to Clinton aide Huma Abedin since 2010, admitted that he had been sexting a number of women over the past three years. In 2013, when Weiner was running for the mayor of New York, a young woman came forward with more explicit photographs Weiner had sent her that year. And this weekend, the New York Post published a series of racy exchanges between Weiner and an unnamed woman, showing that unfortunately the disgraced politician hasn't been able to clean up his act. What's even more inappropriate this time around is that one of the saucy pictures Weiner sent to a "friend" featured Weiner next to his sleeping 5-year-old son, his only child with wife Abedin.
Abedin, a top aide for Hillary Clinton, has been traveling the country working for Clinton's presidential campaign while Weiner manned the fort at home. In a Vogue interview earlier this month, she said that she often feels guilty about her crazy schedule and constant travel. "I don't think I could do it if I didn't have the support system I have, if Anthony wasn't willing to be, essentially, a full-time dad," she said.
On Monday, after the revelations of this weekend, Abedin announced her decision to separate from Weiner. "After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," she said in a statement released to media outlets. "Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."
While many people are congratulating Abedin for her decision to split with Weiner, others are criticizing her for the whole toddler-in-the-sext-situation. Yep, you read that right: People are upset at Huma Abedin that her husband sent sexts featuring their young son.
In a piece for The Washington Post, Amber Phillips wrote: "Weiner isn't just facing questions about his political career. He's facing questions about his parenting skills. And for the third time, his questionable decisions are ensnaring his wife, one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, by raising questions about her decision to leave their son in a potentially dangerous situation."
Right, because a woman with a job expecting her child's father to be able to care for him is "a potentially dangerous situation." I'm sorry, what?
To claim that this situation is in any way Huma's fault truly beggars belief. She is not responsible for her husband's behavior—which, to be clear, is reprehensible and disturbing. He has created this mess all on his own, and she has nothing to do with her son being in one of those photos.
Yes, Abedin clearly knew that Weiner had a history of sending sexts to other women. But here's a reminder: two consenting adults sending sexy pictures to each other isn't a criminal act. Weiner's actions were vile, but before this, there was no reason that we're aware of that Abedin needed to worry about him being a pervert or dangerous to their child. Infidelity is not the same as endangering a child.
Now that Weiner has been caught posting a picture where his sleeping child is next to his boner, Abedin probably does have to worry in a way she didn't need to before. Weiner's ability to be a good parent, and to keep his son safe, has been called into question. But if you're blaming Abedin for this situation, it's time to rethink that stance.
Nina is a writer and editor based in NYC. She covers health, wellness, and culture, specializing in health disparities, reproductive rights, sexual assault, and sleep. She's written for Women's Health, SHAPE, SELF, Refinery29, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, the New York Times, and more. She holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology... Read more
Topicsanthony weinerhuma abedinnewspoliticssexting
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