Supreme Court Outlaws Death Penalty For Child Rape
2008 June 26
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Wednesday derailed the efforts of nearly a dozen states supporting the right to kill those convicted of raping a child and said execution was confined to attacks that take a life and to other crimes including treason and espionage.
In his majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote “the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child,” despite the horrendous nature of the crime.
But what if it were your child? Would you feel the same?
