Collecting DNA from child porn defendants only makes sense (Opinion)

Under current law, if you are arrested for a serious enough crime, like murder, rape, kidnapping, etc., you have to submit to your DNA being collected. The same is not true if you are arrested for child pornography charges. A bill in the legislature is trying to fix that.

It only makes sense. If someone molests a child they should be swabbed for DNA. If someone is part of the demand that creates the supply of child porn, it is tantamount to paying or at least encouraging a third party to rape that child. It's child molestation by proxy, and it is so abhorrent that it ought to be dealt with as seriously as the direct sexual assault of a child.

Child pornography and sex trafficking would not exist without the demand. These disgusting individuals are creating the very abuse a child endures. To treat it more lightly is to not recognize that fact.

Frankly, even sexual assault on a child is not treated harshly enough in the justice system. We live under a system that allows those convicted of raping a child serve a few years and be free again. Innocents like Megan Kanka died because of this. We were wrong to allow endless appeals and not use our death penalty when we had one, and we were wrong when we abolished it. Further, we have always been wrong not to treat sex crimes against children the same as murder, and that ought to include child pornography. If you commit a sexual crime against a child, you are too dangerous to remain alive. Period. You may not have physically killed your victim, but you murdered the person they would have been had you not acted on your twisted impulses. You leave them alive only physically. You've changed them forever.

Let's pass this DNA collection law, but also bring back and use a death penalty against anyone who sexually assaults children.

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