According to the New York Post, lawmakers from Florida have permitted legislation that would authorize the death penalty for people who are convicted of sexually assaulting children. The legislation is supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The bipartisan proposal
“will also allow juries to hand down death sentences by votes of at least 8-4, after previously requiring unanimity,”
reports The Post. The bill pertains to people who are convicted of sexually assaulting children under 12 years old.
On Monday, Gov. DeSantis told Good Morning Orlando,
“My view is, you have some of these people that will be serial rapists of six, seven-year-old kids… I think the death penalty is the only appropriate punishment when you have situations like that.”
The co-sponsors of the bill, State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, and State Sen. Jonathan Martin contended that people who commit such acts are likely to repeat the same actions, which should result in the penalty. Book said,
“Once a predator has a child ensnared, they will harm that child over and over and over again. And then move on to another innocent child.”
“Pedophile behavior has been deemed highly repetitive to the point of compulsion,” Book added.
One of the five who went against the bill, State Sen. Rosalind Osgood, revealed that although she agrees that sexually assaulting children is a severe crime, she confessed that she couldn’t support the death penalty overall due to her religion.
#Clique, do we agree?
