Letters to the Editor: Punishing a loving father like Joe Biden for his son's problems is cruel

To the editor: Robin Abcarian's column, "Shed no tears for Hunter Biden, who exploited the family name but also broke the law," really hit the nail on the head.

The actions of an offspring due to addiction and compulsive bad choices are the responsibility of the individual who has made the mistakes; they should not be attached to that person's parents.

Hunter Biden is indeed President Biden's son, but the misdeeds and alleged crimes of an offspring are not those of a parent. Addiction and inappropriate behavior as a result can be linked to brain functions.

There is no bigger nightmare for parents than to witness their child going off the deep end with substance abuse and poor choices. That in itself is punishment enough for a parent, particularly a loving parent.

Lyn Shaible, San Dimas

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To the editor: While Abcarian makes a good point about the legal and political consequences of Hunter Biden's actions, her comments about the impact of drug and alcohol addiction on him and his family show a shameful lack of compassion for those who struggle with substance abuse, whether they are rich, poor or politically connected.

The tone of Abcarian's comments was overly harsh. As a facilitator of an addiction recovery support group, I am particularly disappointed and offended.

Ira Levine, Oak Park

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.