“I ask again: if there is no such thing as ritual abuse, why are there state statutes on the books in California, Illinois and Idaho which deal very specifically with ritual abuse?”
Well that’s a good question, since there is no such California law on the books.
There was a sentencing enhancement for ritual abuse passed in 1995, penal code 667.83, but even that was repealed in 1997. Whatever source you are using for your information is 20 years behind the times.
But as to your question about why those laws were passed, the laws were passed in response to the same ritual abuse hysteria that had generated the McMartin case shortly before. Politicians respond to current events, they aren’t philosophers.
A question you should answer is why did only 3 states pass such laws? How come the other 47 didn’t?
The Idaho statute is still on the books.
I have no idea why other states did not pass anti-ritual abuse laws. Perhaps other laws were used to quietly assist in prosecution of ritual abuse. It is a controversial topic. It is impossible to have a reasonable discussion about anything if one side is subjected to vicious personal attacks, or threatened with loss of career simply for bringing up the subject.