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.
I presume it was an 8th amendment challenge. Article 3 gives the federal courts jurisdiction.
Yup.
Historically, according to the common law, the three crimes which were death penalty offenses were:
Kidnapping
First degree (premeditated) murder
Rape
People who perform these acts and commit these crimes have already shown themselves to be violent, and having no regrets about it.
We would have no problem shooting a rabid dog...
My point is the liberal duplicity. They kill the innocent, and protect the monstrous. How can they consider a child with Down’s Syndrome less worthy of life than a pedo? If it makes it more palatable, then start aborting rapists. Then maybe the light will dawn in their tiny brains, that babies should be treated better than pedos and murders, and that aborting them is wrong. Pro-Choice is Pro-Death, Pro-Life is Pro-Life, Abortion needs to be linked to death, not a medical procedure. Frankly, I’d be willing to trade the death penalty for an end to abortions, but, that is another point.
No, *I* would not be surprised.
Grooming or courtship depend on definition and one merges into the other at some tipping point.
Criminality depends on a fluctuating state of law.
Susceptibility depends on a degree of neglect/abuse that is often legally ignored.
Most people dislike somnething in relationships with other people.
And conflicts are created by the expectations based on cultural norms and religious influences as by anything else, which the individual cannot be allowed to resolve except to please others.
of which there is no shortage. There's an amazing hypocrisy in a pro-abortion politician or celebrity protesting against the execution of a convicted multiple murderer.
Then maybe the light will dawn in their tiny brains, that babies should be treated better than pedos
1) The dawning light would "convict" many of these folks of the sin of abortion. This they will resist, even to the point of complete irrationality.
2) The idea that "abortion is wrong" puts a serious crimp in their hedonistic lifestyle. The idea that "execution is icky" (and therefor shouldn't be applied even to pedos) is an abstraction to them.
To the Democrats it’s just Intergenerational Homosexual Love. I’m amazed at the argument that rapists shouldn’t be punished because it might further hurt the victim. They usually rape more than one boy. We have to protect our society.
Sorry, I disagree. It takes a mere word to begin the investigation. Often times the investigation comes to a standstill because of lack of evidence such as DNA or damage to the victim because of the time that transpires between the time of the crime and the reporting of it.
Very few are convicted and placed in prison for child rape if there is a lack of physical evidence or witnesses.
I hear this allot. Well what about the 19 year old who has sex with a 17 year old and is labeled a child sex offender for life.
It takes all the energy a child has to step up and report these crimes. Generally when they do, other victims step out of the woodwork to corroborate the story of another.
If there is solid evidence that a child rape has occurred and the person is convicted based on this evidence, my opinion is the ultimate penalty should be on the table.
Pedophiles often times have many victims under their belt before being nabbed and statistically will not stop assaulting children even after a long prison term.
You want a death penalty in situations where there is absolutely no possibility of obtaining physical evidence and very limited likelihood of any witness testimony other than that of the alleged participants? Excuse me, but that is insane.
“If laws are automatically bad because fraudulent convictions are a possibility then all laws are a baaaad idea.”
No, it’s not the law people are talking about, it’s the punishment. A lesser punishment can be reversed if the conviction is false, but the death penalty is permanent. That’s why a lot of people are wary of instituting it for offenses where false accusations are fairly common and the evidence is often lacking.
For social order, we need tighter reins. lncarceration hasn't worked as a deterrent. l say we expand execution to include lesser crimes (like attending a tea party rally)!!
There are no laws where false accusations are not common.
Really? How many people have you heard of that were falsely accused of bank robbery?
Yes, I'm well aware of that. I'm just asking the witch-burners to give some thought as to where they want to draw the bright line for a mandatory death penalty.
If 3 years is fine, but 4 isn't, are they demanding death for the 19-year-old girl who screws a 15-year-old boy ? There won't be much support for that, notably from the 15 year-old-boys.
All rapists deserve hanging, not just child rapists.
(like attending a tea party rally)!!
Exactly.
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