by Nunya Carley

Created on: June 26, 2008

The US supreme court denied the death penalty for child rape today - citing that it violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Justice Anthony Kennedy, "concluded that capital punishment, based on current evolving standards, should be reserved for crimes that take the life of the victim."

Most victims would agree that the aftermath of such a horrific crime does indeed take away their life, forcing the inability to love, trust, or just simply lead an unimpaired life. The few exceptions, of course, would be those young enough to completely block out the trauma.

According to darkness2light.org; 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18. 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Horribly, they report that there are an estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse existing in America today.

In this world of unaccountability, where repeat offenders run rampant, it seems that the rights of children will never be valued. Everyone talks of change, and how we need it - but the most basic and needed laws are never enforced or taken seriously.

We have heard the phrase, "the children are our future", so why don't we do whatever is necessary to make sure they are healthy enough to HAVE a future?

Tougher laws, especially the death penalty, would start a path towards repairing our damaged youth. There would be less aggressors, leading to less victims, leading to less victims becoming the victimizer.

Many that turn from victim to victimizer get away with their actions due to being labeled incompetent, or mentally unfit, which is a travesty. Look at it from my point of view; they hide their pedophile actions BECAUSE they have the comprehension to know that its wrong, in my opinion making themselves liable - showing their basic understanding between right and wrong.

One victim in Binghamton, NY who will remain nameless, was asked how she felt about the ruling. "You can kill a possibly corrupt police officer, get the death penalty. Sell our government secrets to Japan, get the death penalty - but rape a defenseless child and you're allowed to live? It's just one of the many things wrong with our society, and a disgrace."

My personal opinion is much the same, but I would like to add the word SAFE into it. Feeling safe is a great thing. When a child grows up feeling loved and protected, they usually develop a healthy self esteem - and enter their adult lives ready to take on the world, or at least with the confidence to try. If my victimizer was dead, I would feel SAFE for the first time in my life.

Dianne Clements, president of Justice for All, a victims' rights organization is quoted as saying, "Supreme Court has once again opted to favor criminals".

I agree, and can't help but wonder what terrible secrets lie within the closets of those that would reject this law. If it's unconstitutional to give this appropriate sentence to a child rapist, does that mean it's constitutional to rape a child? That last thought is asinine and illogical, I know.

Lastly, and on a sad note, the longer we allow our children to be abused with no severe consequences, the more we are determining a very bleak future. A mind riddled with fear and flashbacks is not able to produce the kind of great thinking that WE NEED to turn this world around.

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