DEATH PENALTY APPROPRIATE UNDER STRICT GUIDELINES
FROM: THE
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, March 31, 2006
There aren’t a lot of things I take seriously, but I can’t make light of this.
On the one hand, people will say that unspeakable torture faced by pedophiles among their fellow inmates is a fate worse than death. After all, daily assaults by the worst of
On the other hand, we have no qualms about putting murderers to death, and if you think about it, child molestation is similar to murder.
A child is precious and innocent – only beginning the process of forming what his or her adult life will bring. In an instant, a sexual predator with fantasies unfathomable by society’s majority can take away that innocence and effectively assassinate a childhood.
These perverted individuals kill a child’s trust in adults who are their supposed protectors and slay the ability for them to grow up and have healthy relationships. Pedophiles are emotional murderers.
I have no problems with adding repeat pedophilia to our list of capitol crimes but also understand that guidelines need to be strictly established to prevent the punishment’s use from becoming too broad.
In the end, I know that if someone took my son’s innocence, I would do all in my power to make sure that person paid for the crime, and I commend Attorney General McMaster and the state Senate for their commitment to our children’s protection.
Taft Matney, 33, lives in
