* My comments in red between stars. *

ROME — A leading right-wing leader and close ally of conservative candidate for premier Silvio Berlusconi proposed Tuesday that pedophiles be treated with chemical castration.

The comment by Gianfranco Fini came in response to recent reports that a convicted pedophile who had been freed pending appeal raped a 4-year-old in Sicily. The case rekindled a debate over the justice system in Italy — where sentences are usually not served until all appeals are exhausted — and over the punishment for sex offenders.

"Chemical castration is not a penalty, it is a therapy," Fini, a former foreign minister and deputy premier, said during a radio show. "Pedophilia is certainly a disease, (and) it is one of the most vile and atrocious crimes."

* Isn't it ? *

Fini added that "to say ... 'let's increase penalties' is not enough."

Fini is running alongside Berlusconi at the April 13-14 elections in a conservative grouping called "Freedom People."

The center-left candidate for premier, Walter Veltroni, also commented on the case days ago, calling for an "iron fist" and harsher penalties in the face of an "inhuman crime."

* Sounds like a conversation that needs to REALLY occur here in America NO ?

It seems we're not terribly interested in keeping our kids safe from creeps like Joseph Duncan and .. many many others.

What does that say about us ? *

FOXNews.com - Italy Right-Wing Leader Proposes Chemical Castration for Pedophiles, Calls It 'Therapy' - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

I disagree on using chemicals.......A knife is so much cheaper and reusable.

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Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

Many times I believe Americans will have to take back the country and start a new government.

I can think if about 56,352,825,248 other things that need our attention before friggin' pedophiles. Why people like spending so much time focusing on this terrible crime, when there are other equally terrible crimes and many more worse crimes is beyond me.

For example, why no mention of castration for adult rape, which is just as sick?

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“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Is there any reason that suggests it will help though? What good is legislation if it only makes you feel good but doesn't reduce crime.

By the way, it's pedosexuals.

The only thing worst IMO is murder.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

Many times I believe Americans will have to take back the country and start a new government.

Yes, murder is much, much worse. I'd say that kidnapping is equally as bad, beating or injuring someone to near death is equally bad, adult rape is equally as bad, child slave labor is equally as bad, etc.

Just seems like child molestation is the 'cool' crime to hate these days. Sure, it's an awful thing, but I still don't understand why it gets so much extra attention and so many wacky propositions for dealing with it than many other horrible crimes. Maybe it's the "yuck" factor, who knows.

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“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Very true.

Never happen though.

Even though it's the BEST solution.

I think the answer to your question is several things...

1) The recommit rate for these criminals is very high.
2) We see our own children in the victim.
3) Judges have been historically lenient on child molesters.
4) The tendency for societies to go from one extreme (in this case lenient sentencing) to the other.

Having said this, for me due to #1 - I also believe that the punishment should be very long term in clear cut molestation crimes.

Ridiculous.

This isn't like some new "cool, trendy" thing.

That there are those of us that think the way we HANDLE this crime is a crime AGAINST OUR OWN CHILDREN is what you see.

Do you know, or even CARE, how many offenders we've released who have gone out and done it AGAIN ? Many of them adding MURDER to their crime ?

Who is it, that is at fault for THESE ?

It is "US."

It's your fault. It's MY fault.

You, I and ALL of us condone the system that allowed these criminal sickos OUT.

It gets the attention because as I said earlier:

* It seems we're not terribly interested in keeping our kids safe from creeps like Joseph Duncan and .. many many others.

What does that say about us ? *

I'd venture to say that a lot of people might interpret such a thing as "cruel and unusual" (chemical 'castration'). But, if it were offered as a voluntary option (and not a punishment) for sentencing considerations or something, you might render the constitutionality a moot point.

I seem to recall that this has been implemented in some sort of flagship basis before (I could be wrong) with results that weren't spectacular. I think it had something to do with making male sexual predators unable to physically achieve arousal but not necessarily less interested in their 'interaction' with children.

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"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

-Thomas Jefferson

I beg to differ. Never before have I seen child molestation and pedophiles top the news like we see today.
Tell me, please. From my research, it shows that around 5% commit another sex crime within three years of release. I wish I could find statistics that cover a longer amount of time, but 5% is pretty low.
...okay...


So, our children will be safe if we totally crack down on child molestation? Child molestation is the only danger children face?

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“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Yes, I've heard of what you're talking about. Thats why many of us are for a one strike law:

Jordan's One Strike Law against Pedophiles Petition

Dylan's Law in Spokane | Progressive U

I agree, I also remember seeing cases of voluntary chemical castration, in which of course - it was just that - voluntary.

There is history of this - in 1997 in Florida's law books, they added that to remain out of prison they also must take sexual arousal inhibiting drugs on a weekly basis or go back to jail...I do not know the success rates however.

My thoughts exactly.Lorena Bobbit could get the job of performing the physical castrations.

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"There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”—Theodore Roosevelt

Dude... you sound like some uber-hippie liberal...

It's everyone's fault man. No one is really responsible but at the same time everyone is responsible. It takes a village to raise children!

Screw that. I don't commit crimes against children and I don't have any children. What happens to other people's children is certainly not my fault, and I refuse to accept the implicit blame here for anything. Blame the people who commit crimes for the crimes - not this left-wing claptrap about everyone creating criminals or whatever.

__________________
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

-Thomas Jefferson