March 28, 2006 was a historic moment in SC history. The SC Senate passed my amendment to allow for capital punishment for child rapists receiving a 2nd conviction. The bill passed and signed into law by Gov. Sanford. There is a court case involving a similar law in Louisiana being heard by the US Supreme Court. Click here to read the article.
The most popular questions asked during the debate:
1-Why are you asking for punishment this severe? When a child is raped something precious is taken from the child’s soul. The child may never recover, therefore, I believe this invasion of a child warrants capital punishment, especially since the bill calls for a 2nd conviction of child rape. This also sends a message across the world, that SC does not tolerate the molestations of our kids! Will this sentencing keep perverts out of SC? I certainly hope so.
2-Did capital sentancing jeopardize the rest of Jessica’s Law bill or our current capital punishment statutes? A “severability clause” was included in the amendment to prevent this from happening. Also, the language calls for a separate statute that may isolate this sentencing should we get a court challenge.
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