[sinsofsolarempirefan]

I'm going to point out something unpleasant and difficult. If he was convicted of the rape, and sentenced, then when he has completed his sentence, he does have a case -- by the same logic we all use here on FreeRepublic that a felon who has completed his sentence should regain his right to bear firearms and vote. We all do not require that an ex-felon never regain his right to defend himself later in life. Similarly, then (and this is a very difficult thing to say, because rape is such a heinous crime), this rapist is still the biological father, and biological fathers have rights that are forcefully defended here on FreeRepublic. He's paying child support. Rapist or not, after he has completed his sentence, he is still the father of the child. Are we saying we want to deny his rights as a father AFTER he's completed his sentence? Eh? The comparison with the right to own guns after completing your sentence and visiting the child you conceived with rape is completely invalid. There is nothing in the US Constitution that says that ex-criminals should be allowed to force themselves into the lives of their victims, especially because of the result of their crime.

[dayglored]

> Not all of us agree that a convicted felon should get his right to tote guns back ~ and most certainly not when he used a weapon in the commission of the crime.

To be honest, I agree. I brought up the difficult logical point in my initial comment, because I usually find myself in the minority position (among FReepers) with regard to felons getting their rights back.

I tend more toward the position of, "You screwed up and committed a crime. The results of that crime are still around. Sorry, you don't get all your rights back, just because you've completed your sentence."

On many threads, that position draws me a lot of flak, though.