Flip,
Of course it is aberrant. We all have stated that. Acting on it is illegal and damaging to children and society. We all know that and agree. That isn't the point the article is making or the point many of us are making. The condition is who they are. Read the posts on this OP or the article. Pedophiles are sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children in the same manner that I'm attracted to fully formed females. More and more research indicates this is who they are; they didn't choose it.
From Wiki: Pedophilia or paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger.
Their attraction is NOT a crime. Some studies suggest that half or more of true pedophiles - those who are sexually attracted to children - never act on it. Read the earilier posts on this; there are some very good ones. The reason they place convicted pedophiles on registries, which btw you can google in any US community to see the names, faces and addresses of convicted pedophiles, is that the best research indicates that they may re-offend because the sexual attraction is what and who they are. All we are saying is that the condition and the act are two very different things. The former deserves understanding, treatment, intervention, etc., while the latter deserves the full wrath of society.