OUR TURN: SHOULD REPEAT CHILD SEX OFFENDERS FACE DEATH PENALTY?

DEATH PENALTY APPROPRIATE UNDER STRICT GUIDELINES
FROM: THE GREENVILLE (SC) NEWS [LINK]
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 South Carolina’s inmate population would make convicted molesters want to die. Even murderers see child molestation as that criminal line not to be crossed.

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 Greenville and is the president of a local public relations and governmental affairs firm. He can be reached by e-mail at taft@taftmatney.com or by phone at (864) 505-8866.