Duggar Family News: Jim Bob And Michelle Duggar’s 20th Child Renews Concern About Sexual Molestation Scandal

The Duggar family has grown to 20 kids and counting, but Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar didn’t reach the big 2-0 the way they initially planned to. The Counting On stars recently became the temporary guardians of a relative’s young son, and it’s highly likely that they’ll adopt the boy. However, some critics of the family don’t think that they should be allowed to do this after they mishandled the incestuous sexual molestation that occurred in their household over a decade ago.

According to In Touch Weekly, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are now caring for the eight-year-old son of Rachel Hutchins, Michelle’s 23-year-old niece. Legal documents show that the Duggars were granted temporary guardianship of the boy after Hutchins and a second family member became unable to care for him. Hutchins is currently homeless and struggling to get her life back on track.

There is no father listed on the birth certificate of Hutchins’ son, and the family member who last had custody of the boy, Hutchins’ mother Carolyn, suffered a stroke in July.

Now Jim Bob and Michelle are hoping to make Hutchins’ son a permanent member of their nuclear family by adopting him. On November 14, they’ll take the first step in this process by heading to court to make their guardianship permanent. However, some critics of the Duggar family think that Hutchins’ son would be better off being adopted by a different family. The Talk’s Twitter page recently asked viewers to weigh in on the Duggars’ decision to take in another child, and most responses were critical of the controversial family.

REPORT: 19+ Duggars to adopt child! With family’s scandalous history, should they take in more kids? #EverybodyTalks pic.twitter.com/YxVTcLino3

— The Talk (@TheTalkCBS) September 14, 2016

“No!! The way they handled the abuse that had happened was unforgivable! And that’s only what we know about!” Jennifer Joy responded.

“The parents should not be allowed to adopt. They did nothing about the abuse years ago with Josh,” Joyce Williams agreed.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been criticized for failing to protect their daughters after their son, Josh Duggar, came to them and confessed that he was sexually molesting his younger female siblings. Josh’s first incident of molestation occurred in March 2002 when he was 14, and his behavior continued to get worse over the next few months. According to police reports, he came to his parents multiple times to let them know what he was doing, but they did not alert the proper authorities or remove Josh from the home. According to police reports obtained by In Touch Weekly, Josh admitted to molesting four of his younger sisters and a babysitter.

Jim Bob and Michelle finally decided to take action after Josh “touched the breasts and vaginal area” of his then-five-year-old sister while she was sitting on his lap and listening to him read a story. However, the parents still did not contact the proper authorities. Instead, they sent Josh to a “Christian program in Little Rock.”

Quadruple-date with these people! @Anna_Duggar @derick4him @jillmdillard @BenSeewald @JessaSeewald #19Kids pic.twitter.com/AkPkDRF29P

— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) December 28, 2014

Legal experts told In Touch Weekly that Jim Bob and Michelle could have faced jail time for covering up the molestation that occurred in the Duggar family home. However, police did not learn about Josh’s actions until 2006, and the statute of limitations on the case had already run out by the time they started questioning members of the Duggar family.

It’s unclear whether the Duggar family’s dark past will have any effect on their chances of successfully adopting Rachel Hutchins’ young son, but Jim Bob and Michelle won’t be the only Duggars looking out for the boy — Jana Duggar and the other adult Duggar daughters have acted as “sister moms” to their younger siblings ever since they were old enough to bottle feed their baby sisters and brothers. During the latest episode of Counting On, 18-year-old Joy-Anna Duggar revealed that she’s forgoing college to stay at home and help her mother care for the ten underage kids who still reside in the massive Duggar house. Now it appears that she’ll have another charge to keep an eye on.

Even though they can’t take care of the kids that they have without help from their older children, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have made it no secret that 19 kids is not enough for them. In 2013, Michelle told People that she and her husband were looking into expanding their family through adoption, but she wasn’t sure if doing so would be okay with the man upstairs.

“When he gives us a child [through pregnancy], there is no doubt in our minds that is what He wants, but when it comes to adoption, we would have to know for sure that was his will,” Michelle said.

However, Jim Bob had other ideas. While performing a Christian rap song in February 2015, he revealed that he was still trying to get his then-49-year-old wife pregnant. Michelle’s last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage in 2011.

What do you think of the Duggar family adding another “counting” to its massive clan of kids? Share your comments below.

[Featured Image by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images]