I am the mother of a little girl who was molested by her stepfather. He destroyed so much, and though this has all been so long ago, the repercussions are felt in a number of ways. Her childhood, our relationship - sexual abuse is far more than a single act about sexual satisfaction and a twisted mind.

Nonetheless, I can see no benefit to this action. Are we intending to create monsters by forcing alienation? You might argue he is one already - but he is not yet (to our knowledge) son of sam. He fucked up, he destroyed lives, and he is known by all in his small community. But the act reeks of anger, not of justice.

Sexual abuse is also much more than the act of a single twisted individual with insufficient boundaries and self control. Like wife abuse, it in some ways reflects our culture. Child abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual) was never condoned so much as it was ignored. Now our anger represents anger at something we helped to create.

If you do not understand what I wrote, I suggest a little reading is in order. It is always so much easier to point at one, than an entire culture, and simpler to call for monstrous punishments than to increase our awareness. after all, it has not been so long since this topic was forbidden.