Solo Single Mama

Well, it's about damned time! The Supreme Court must make this decision, but I think it's a decision that's been made in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of parents in this country.

The image of a child violated, it fills us with rage. Do we do enough now? In my humble opinion - not a chance.

There are the two fall backs which would keep violators from this fate. Mentally disabled offenders are currently not candidates for capitol punishment. Yet, aren't the most heinous of sexual crimes committed by mentally unstable individuals? There is a debate; Pedophilia - crime or mental illness? And these days, even if the majority place it in crime, we have such a potpourri of mental illnesses to choose from, certainly any decent lawyer can relieve a rapist of the death penalty in exchange for time in prison.

The other fall back is castration. Now, I can't speak for a rapist, but I'm not sure that is any less terrible than the death penalty. Kenyan's tried for this punishment, Health Minister Charity Ngilu quoted the Bible to back the call; "The Bible says that if any part of the body causes you to sin, it should be removed,"

The issue was dropped before parliament could even debate.

Last year, A confessed rapist in Panama City, FL voluntarily went under the knife for a reduced sentence. The castration didn't stop a judge from sentencing him to twenty-five years. I cringe as I imagine his inflamed anger. Will the lack of a penis control his desire to have complete control over another?

Would castration really stop rapes, or just establish more anger in the offender leading them to develop even more atrocious ways to violate their victims. We know that rape is about power, not sexual gratification.

Don't even get me started on Chemical Castration, which, contrary to the image of acid poured on a penis that just popped into your head, is merely a regimen of depo provera to reduce their sex drive. Approved in California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana and Montana - chemical castration - or let's get realistic - hormone drugs are admittedly a means to reduce the cost of the prison system at an estimated cost savings of $23/day.

Once the injections stop, the sex drive returns to previous levels.
"It's like a nicotine patch," said state Rep. Deb Kottel, Democrat of Great Falls Montana, who sponsored one of two bills on the issue that passed. "It takes the edge off and allows people to quit."

As we all know, the nicotine patch make it a snap to stop smoking. Surely hormone drugs are much safer for our children than life in jail, or execution.

I feel the need to repeat: rape is about power, not sexual gratification.

I am a mother of two amazing children. In my heart I know, if somebody violated one of them - I would not hesitate to take the law into my own hands. I would stand behind the court in their decision to take this duty out of my hands in a heartbeat. Which side of the fence do you stand on?

Please take a moment to visit Stop It Now for prevention tips. There are some sick individuals out there, and as parents we need any tool available to protect our most valuable creations.