Pro-Life and the Death Penalty

I read with sadness this morning a newspaper article on Joseph Duncan, the long-time sex offender who was convicted of the torture and murder of 9-year-old Dylan Groene, of Idaho. I read the news each and every day and make it a point to stay current on news and events. For the first time that I can recall, I sat and cried while reading this article. You may recall this case in which Dylan and his sister, Shasta, age 8, were kidnapped from the home of their mother and step-father. The parents were killed, as was their 16 year old brother, Slade. Joseph Duncan murdered the whole family with the intent of taking Dylan and Shasta, after stalking the family for some time. This predator had struck before, in Riverside County, killing 10-year-old Anthony Martinez. The evil involved in these crimes is undefinable. This is every parent's nightmare personified. Jurors in the case were shown a video of sexual abuse, torture, and death by hanging of little Dylan. Joseph Duncan taped his crimes so that he could re-live them over and over again. Shasta was forced to watch, knowing the same fate could be awaiting her. Shasta was rescued when an alert waitress notified police that the little girl looked like the missing girl on t.v.

Working in adoption, I am pro-life, as you might imagine. I like to think that I have a kind heart and wouldn't ever condone hurting anyone. However, in this case, there is no punishment too harsh -- no suffering enough -- to mitigate the crimes against the most vulnerable and innocent in our society. How many years of life did he take away? How many lives were changed because of what Joseph Duncan did? How does such a monster arrive at a place where he could possibly do such heinous things? Five people are dead. One little girl has to live with what she witnessed and the loss of her entire family. Twelve jurors, friends, and court personnel can never forget what they saw on the videotape. So, while I am very much pro-life, Mr. Duncan is the exception. He doesn't deserve to take up space or resources on this earth. I don't want any of my tax dollars going to feed or house him. He shouldn't be allowed to ever have the opportunity to do something like this again. He has received the death penalty. There will be years of appeals and he will live on for many more years before, and if, his life is taken. When it happens, it will be done quickly and humanely -- something he didn't afford his victims, certainly not Dylan or Anthony. The mere thought of what they went through haunts me.

How do we prevent this type of crime from ever happening again? How do we protect our children and our families? I wish I knew. It seems that more and more often in our world, this type of evil is making itself known. Perhaps with the advent of the internet and the availability of child porn to these predators, we are fueling their desire for children. We need to aggressively hunt down and prosecute those distributing this garbage and stop giving child predators short sentences or probation. No matter what we do, we can't help those who have already suffered and lost their lives. It makes me very sad. Dylan is my son's name. I can't even imagine...