Why Jessa Duggar Finally Turned Against Her Older Brother

After staying quiet since Josh Duggar admitted to cheating on his wife, sister Jessa Duggar Seewald is finally turning her back on her brother. (Photo: Corbis)

Jessa Duggar Seewald, younger sister of Josh Duggar, is finally speaking out — if indirectly — against her brother, who is currently in a faith-based rehab for treatment following his admission that he cheated on his wife, Anna, and is addicted to pornography.

The 22-year-old expectant mother, who stood by Josh during his molestation scandal earlier this year, tweeted a link on Tuesday to a scathing blog post by her father-in-law condemning her brother. Entitled “Grief, Shame, And Taking The LORD’s Name In Vain,” the post, written by Michael Seewald, blasts Josh, 27, as a “pretender” for living “a covert and extensive lifestyle of evil” and bringing “shame on God’s holy name and the Christian faith.”

STORY: Josh Duggar Ripped for ‘Lifestyle of Evil’ in Scathing Letter From In-Law

Until this week, Jessa had remained mum about her brother’s inclusion in the Ashley Madison database, which was hacked last month. In June, when it was revealed that Jessa was one of the five young girls Josh had molested as a teenager, she spoke publicly in his support, saying, “I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist, some people are saying. I’m like, ‘That is so overboard and a lie really.’”

Jessa Duggar Seewald, far left, pictured here with some of her siblings, including Josh, second from right. (Photo: Instagram/Jessa Duggar Seewald)

But it seems the tides have turned for Jessa. “Go to seewalds.com and read the post on the Ashley Madison scandal,” Jessa tweeted Tuesday. On Monday, she posted a video on Facebook of a Pastor John Piper’s sermon, “The Passions That Prevent Adultery.” Though she hasn’t actually personally spoken about Josh recently, her links make clear that she is publicly turning her back on her big brother.

STORY: Mom Ignites a Movement With Viral Open Letter to Anna Duggar

In the blog post Jessa linked to, her father-in-law writes: “[Josh] claimed to be a Christian, but by his deeds he has suggested otherwise. With the name of God on his lips he lived a covert and extensive lifestyle of evil. While proudly saying things like, ‘Our family is like the epitome of conservative values,’ he was looking at porn and soliciting affairs. He took a job at the Family Research Council that exists to promote the traditional family, all the while undermining his own family by violating his marriage covenant.”

Jessa Duggar Seewald with her husband, Ben, whose father wrote the scathing letter that Jessa linked to this week. (Photo: Instagram/Jessa Duggar Seewald)

So why, after standing by her brother during the molestation revelation and staying quiet in the weeks since the Ashley Madison hack, has Jessa suddenly had a change of heart? “I think she’s saying ‘this is the final straw,’” Fran Walfish, Beverly Hills family psychotherapist, tells Yahoo Parenting. “When we see he is on the Ashley Madison list, it tells us that Josh’s acting out is rampant and bleeding all over the place. He’s a severely psychologically disturbed person who is acting out everywhere.”

Walfish, who does not know any of the Duggars or Seewalds personally and is only speculating on the reasons for Jessa’s actions, says they could have come in the wake of various triggers. “Everyone’s actions are open to multiple interpretations, but I think Jessa has an idea that she should shut up to the media,” Walfish says. “She may think linking to someone else is a way of remaining classy and quiet, while still making her stance known.”

Jessa Duggar Seewald is expecting her first child in November. (Photo: Instagram/Jessa Duggar Seewald)

It’s also possible, Walfish says, that Jessa’s public denouncement of her brother is the result of counseling. “She may have put herself into some psychotherapy or counseling with a therapist or pastor or minister who has, appropriately, advised her that silence is colluding to the secrecy of molestation and is the opposite of health,” she says. “She may be vocalizing this as a step toward her own empowerment, because what happens with victims of sexual abuse is that their power is taken away from them.”

Walfish says the continuous misdeeds on Josh’s part indicate that it’s unlikely his latest course of treatment will make much difference. “The chances of him getting cured go down when we see the level of his acting out go up,” she says. “In other words, he doesn’t just act out with children, he acts out with adults too. His betrayal is to everyone, including his siblings, his parents, his wife, and his own children. That raises the likelihood that he has very little conscious or guilt about his actions, and certainly not enough to stop him.”

Jessa has likely been thinking hard about her brother’s actions, and it can be difficult to keep those feelings to herself when his face is plastered all over the news. “Let’s face it, people who act out their selfish carnal needs inappropriately leave emotional wreckage behind,” Walfish says. “Jessa probably has a lot of feelings of anger, hurt, betrayal, and shock, and these feelings have got to go somewhere.”

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.