Posted on 06/11/2007 7:37:46 AM PDT by stm
WASHINGTON — Lynda Marie Kirby sexually abused her young son in ways more horrible than anyone could imagine, and she'll pay a steep price for her crimes.
Kirby is serving a 125-year sentence, and she will remain in prison for half that time — 62 1/2 years — before she becomes eligible for parole.
But there are many in Texas who think Kirby shouldn't spend even another day behind bars. They believe crimes of her nature deserve a greater punishment than imprisonment, and now the state is on its way toward approving the death penalty for child rapists.
Texas is the latest state to pass a form of "Jessica’s Law" — named after 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford of Florida, who was abducted, abused, buried alive and left to die in a dirt hole by a known sex offender who lived nearby — that includes the death penalty.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I am decidedly pro-life. This has required me to spend time contemplating the death penalty and how that can be reconciled with a pro-life position.
Somehow, when it comes to child molesters, I don’t have any problems! Now, I wonder if it’s because my belief is shallow or because the damage is so profound.
On the one hand, you can’t help but want anything but death for a child rapist. On the other hand, it’s a bit unnerving to think of giving all this power to social workers who have, in the past, coaxed false accusations out of children.
What if you were accused of child rape and you didn’t do it but a social worker got the child to say you did and then they executed you?
Worth thinking about.
The thing to weigh is whether or not a death sentence for rapists will make them more likely to kill their victims. After all, if they face a death sentence for rape, why shouldn’t they go one step further and murder their victims to prevent them from testifying?
I tend to agree with you, though I want the definition of "hurts" to be the worst offenders. I'm not for executing someone for every degree of "hurt", but these predatory monsters discussed in the article should be quickly returned to meet their Maker.
Sex crimes, in general are hard to prove, but when they are proven, I believe the death penalty should apply and not just to child mollestors. All rapists
should be given death.
It is worth thinking about. This is taught in introductory psychology classes and people still forget about it.
I believe this bill targets repeated child rapists, those who have raped children more than two or three times and will only be applied when there is obvious evidence of abuse, not “well...I think he raped me but...yeah he raped me.”
There shouldn't be any difficulty reconciling the two positions, both arise from the love of children (including the unborn).
My concern is that a child rapist will now give thought to killing the victim as the penalty would be the same.
For some reason, the Jessica Lunsford case cut me to the quick and still does. I could say why this is but I think I’d rather not. 14th century justice would be about right for this perp, IMHO.
If a perv would get the same penalty for molesting/raping a kid as he would for killing a kid the perv has a *very* strong incentive to kill the kid that he,otherwise,might have "only" molested.
An excellent point. While we want felons to consider the consequences of their actions, we too should consider the unintended consequences, should we open the death penalty to non-murder related crimes.
I understand the sentiment underlying this thread. I'm just not sure it would bring the results intended.
... the state is on its way toward approving the death penalty for child rapists.
It's about time.
... the state is on its way toward approving the death penalty for child rapists.
It's about time.
That is a very good point, and given that, I think it should only be an option for very proven repeat offenders.
I have heard very scary stories about students with grudges against teachers, etc.
I’m for it.
We are extorted to not commit murder, executing someone is not murder.
And what was that case in California, back in the 80s I think, where a single social worker basically got all the kids in some school to accuse a whole bunch of teachers and even some parents and then it turned out the whole thing was basically a masterful use of a kind of hypnotic technique by the social worker, who could get young children to say anything she wanted them to say? And that was just one case.
I'm pro-life when it comes to protecting the innocent -- but to apply that whole cloth to the world doesn't work for me.
People who rape children should be put to death.
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