Posted on 11/22/2011 6:24:31 AM PST by Kaslin
Child rape is an unforgivable offense and should be severely punished. It should be a capital crime.
Unfortunately and unwisely, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008 struck down a Louisiana law that provided for the death penalty in cases of child rape. Part of the court's rationale was that only a few states had such laws at the time, and they saw no national consensus even though there were several proposed laws in additional states and the movement was growing.
I am calling on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation against this horrific crime without delay. The Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 should be updated to include child rape. Perhaps then the Supreme Court will get a clue about how the American people really feel.
I write as a victim of this crime when I was very young, and I can testify that it is an experience that forever scars its victims. We might think of child rape as an "unspeakable" crime, but the fact is we need to speak up for the sake of our children.
The recent scandal at Penn State once again shows that there are adults among us who prey on the very young. As far as I am concerned, such adults should be punished as severely as the law allows. It is an offense against the most vulnerable among us.
That this latest incident occurred at a center of learning, famed among other things for its stellar athletic programs, shows that no place is immune from episodes of sexual abuse of the young. Where there are youngsters in abundance, as at a college campus or a school yard, there is a strong possibility that there will also be predators lurking about and scheming to abuse them sexually.
The thing about the Penn State case that most shocks me is the absolute failure of some of the college's authorities to deal with a crime on their campus that could not have escaped their notice. Long-famed for winning football teams managed by one of the nation's top coaches, Penn State will now be remembered as the site of dismal failure in protecting children
Parents need to be aware of this problem and should see to it that their youngsters are given appropriate guidance that they must be careful to avoid situations where they might be victimized by adult child abusers, and that they must promptly report any attempt by adults to abuse them sexually.
As I wrote above, as a youngster I was abused by an adult. Because I was very young and not aware that I was a victim and not a willing participant in this crime, I failed to report this abuse to my parents or to the authorities. I fear that today's victims might share this fear and unknowingly allow their abusers to avoid the harsh punishments they deserve to experience. That exposes other youngsters to victimization, so our children need encouragement to speak up as well.
Let it never be forgotten that child abuse, especially by sexual predators, is a widespread crime. Let all parents remain alert to any signs that their youngsters are victims of sex abuse by adults. Your children need you.
“The Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 should be updated to include child rape.”
I like the concept however, that would have the potential of further damaging the victims.
It is the mentality that has permeated our Society since January of 1973.
Children whether born or unborn have no rights in our society,
They are considered mere possessions.
the Supremes believe numbers matter? I would like the supremes to tell us exactly WHEN and HOW many have to be brutalized BEFORE it becomes a violation of the right to be safe in your person and property?
“” I am calling on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation against this horrific crime without delay””
No need to get the Feds involved. Let the 50 states enact their own laws for this crime.
No need to get the Feds involved. Let the 50 states enact their own laws for this crime.
Eh...considering that it takes nothing more than the word of the supposed victim to get an innocent man convicted of these charges, I’m going to say this is a baaaad idea.
“No need to get the Feds involved. Let the 50 states enact their own laws for this crime.”
####
Agreed.
So I’ll show my ignorance and ask how was the US Supreme Court able to “strike down” the LA law in the FIRST place?
I agree, but if the death penalty is to be used in such cases, I think some mechanism(s) MUST be put in place to assure that the occasional outbreak of "epidemic" false accusations do not lead to the execution of innocent persons.
There have been a couple of notorious cases in this country in which children were coerced/cajoled by overzealous "crusaders" in to 'remembering' things that did not happen. A day care provider named Virginia Martin, (or McMartin maybe? the name is escaping me right now) and her entire family had their lives and reputations ruined by accusations of child molestation and child rape. The accusations later proved false.
Unfortunately, giving the death penalty for child rape gives the rapist an incentive to kill the child. Nothing to lose.
A life sentence would protect other children from the rapist.
Agreed.
The Amirault family in Massachusetts and a young teacher named Kelly Michaels in New Jersey were also found guilty on rigged-up charges by prosecutors who manipulated children. Gerald Amirault served 18 years and his name is still not officially cleared.
We have legal Capital punishment out the wazoo. Take the bigger blob of tissue to your local planned parenthood.
They don’t even need to bury the guy, just dump him in a dumpster out back.
Why don’t you go after the larger number of child destroyers - the mothers, fathers, supporting government...and the voters.
This sounds like Nazi’s screaming discrimination.
Thank you Michael Reagan. If we had more advocates like you for causes like this ... perhaps there would be less abuse. God bless you and your own family. We surely miss your dad...President Ronald Reagan.
Child rape was a capital crime until the homosexuals tried to change people’s moral code.
Very good article by Reagan.
I will add that the most important thing about this crime is that the statute of limitation should be completely lifted. The victim should be able to grow old enough and wise enough to lose his fear and shame and report the crime. Not everyone is that mature in their early 20s. They are likely to not wish peer embarrassment at that age. They are also not likely to wish their parents this guilt, if the parents had trusted the abuser with the are of their child. So the young fault figures he will just stay quiet.
But maybe at 35 or 40 he wants to come forward, maybe at this point he is mature enough to want to prevent others getting hurt, and caring less about his own embarrassment. So he goes to the police. And they tell him it’s too late to prosecute.
We need no statute of limitations for child molestation.
Death is too good for them.
Stealing the innocence of a child should be repaid with solitary confinement for life with physical castration.........
Are = care, fault= adult
Autocorrect
Fixed.
I think you and a lot of other people are missing an important aspect here: based on my experience only, it would have been devastating to me had my abuser been put to death.
Certainly, not all victims would have the same feelings, but enough would that it would be a problem.
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