ENSIGN CONDEMNS SUPREME COURT REJECTION OF CHILD RAPE DEATH PENALTY

Washington, D.C. - Senator John Ensign today released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court's 5-4 vote ruling that outlawed the death penalty of people convicted of raping a child.

"This decision undermines our greatest responsibility as a nation-to protect our children.  When a child is raped, innocence is lost forever and the emotional scars are permanent.  Although the victim is still alive, the trauma is so debilitating that the crime is often referred to as ‘unfinished murder.'  This blanket ban means that someone could be convicted of raping 100 children and still not be a candidate for the death penalty.  Parents should know that perpetrators of this heinous crime will face whatever punishment is deemed appropriate, including the death penalty."

The Supreme Court ruled today that the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in child rape cases violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.  The Court argued that there has not been an execution in the United States for a crime which did not result in the death of the victim in forty-four years.