[Irish Rose]

I disagree. Judges cannot order people sterilized. Forced sterilization and abortion happen in China, but should never happen here. The woman deserves the death penalty for murder in my opinion, but I hate to see the government deciding who can and cannot have children.

[jer33 3]

I agree with you. Forced sterilization concerns me as well. I do think the judge was way too lenient.

[GovernmentShrinker]

This approach does not involve the government deciding who can or cannot have children, until AFTER someone has had a child and killed or severely abused it. I have no problem with the government deciding that people who have done such things can't be allowed to have any more children. And the death penalty obviously would also have the effect of the governemnt preventing her from having any more children.

[VMI70]

"...I hate to see the government deciding who can and cannot have children."

I agree with you, because we all know the government will screw that up also. Knowing that, I hereby offer my services as a private citizen to make the decisions on who can and cannot have children.

[tfecw]

Well i sort of agree with your argument. I'm just playing devils advocate right now so don't destroy me and don't take this as a personal attack ;)

what if the punishment for child murder wasn't death, but sterilization. You seem to be okay with the government deciding who lives and dies (I'm pro death penalty by the way), but not okay with who can have children or not.

Don't be too quick to compare This to what China is doing. That is the law of the land, everyone conforms to that law. This is for someone who killed her 5 week old child. I see a big difference between telling everyone you can only have x amount of y children vs telling someone convicted of murder you can't have any more children.

[mountaineer]

Judges cannot order people sterilized. ... I hate to see the government deciding who can and cannot have children.

You're right, judges cannot order a person sterilized, but this judge has given her a choice. She either gets sterilized and gets probation, or chooses NOT to undergo the procedure and faces a murder trial. It's up to her.