Debra LaFave - Charges Dropped

Theres no excuse for molesting a child, of any age. So nothing about treatment or being a christian is acceptable as to whether or not she should be equally punished.

 

Probably one of the reasons teenage boys are willing to participate ....

and NO, I am NOT saying what she did was ok. </font>[/QUOTE]This discounts, of course, the emotional/psychological manipulation neccesary for this woman to have committed the crime she did.

We assume the kid was giggling like Beavis the whole time; huh huh, she's hot, huh huh. The reality is very likely quite different, with the child being manipulated and controlled by the abuser.

 

All I can say is you guys have a different meaning of attractive than I do. She could not be less attractive, to me. She has big-time trouble written all over her. She looks cheap, to me. She makes me appreciate the way REAL women dress and carry themselves. Thanx, ladies!!!!!!

 

Well, yeah, but some people think Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith are attactive...

Yuck.

But the point is, I think, that the blonde-hair-blue-eyes-frail-little-china-doll act works.

 

Most men are saps, I guess.

 

BillyMac,

People with a mental illness need to receive treatment for their illness, that does not mean they should not face the consequences of their actions. I am an advocate for consumers of mental health services, but their illness does not give them free reign to do what ever they want. People suffering from mental illness should not be treated any differently than people with other illnesses. We put people in prison with heart conditions, diabetes, and cancer everyday. What we do need to make sure happens is that when someone with a mental illness goes to prison then they receive the proper treatment.

Bill

 

BillyMac,

People with a mental illness need to receive treatment for their illness, that does not mean they should not face the consequences of their actions. I am an advocate for consumers of mental health services, but their illness does not give them free reign to do what ever they want. People suffering from mental illness should not be treated any differently than people with other illnesses. We put people in prison with heart conditions, diabetes, and cancer everyday. What we do need to make sure happens is that when someone with a mental illness goes to prison then they receive the proper treatment.

Bill </font>[/QUOTE]Part of the problem, I think, is the lack of understanding most of us have about mental illness. I would argue that mentally ill individuals are responsible for their actions at some point, even if that point is at a time in the past where they had the choice to acknowledge their illness and get help.

Thus if a person in a psychotic episode kills someone, he's insane, yes, but he probably could have prevented that death by getting help when he first noticed things "weren't right."

 

She belongs in jail where she can have no more opportunities to destroy another child's life.

She knew it was wrong - she did it anyway.

 

Not all mentally ill people experience psychotic episodes.

people who suffer from Major Depression or Bi-polar disorder can experience psychotic episodes, but they are the exception and not the rule. If Ms. LaFave is suffering from Bi-polar Disorder (aka manic depression) then more than likely her illegal behavior is the result of her being in a manic state. When in a manic state people will take risks that they normally would not, these risks often have to do with money, sex, drinking, drugs or a combination of these with out regard to the consequences.

A manic person might spend thousands of dollars in a day, week, or month on a credit card without even thinking about how they will pay off the balance. The will have to pay what they owe, because that is a consequence of their actions.

A manic person might use illegal drugs and become addicted to them. That person can become an addict because that is a consequence of their actions.

A manic person might engage in risky sexual activity and be charged with a crime because that activity was illegal. The must face the consequences of this action just as they must face the consequences of overspending or doing drugs.

Do that mean we lock the up and throw away the key? No it doesnt. Our city and county have police trained as part of a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). CIT officers have been trained in how to identify someone suffering from a mental illness, and on were to get them help. More and more Police departments across the county are providing CIT training. CIT officers are able to identify mentally ill people and get them help much sooner than might otherwise happen.

My county also has a Mental Health Court. People who have committed crimes and been identified as mentally ill can go through the Mental Health Court instead of the normal court system. The mental health court provides treatment options for the offenders and allows them to get the help they need. By getting people help then the mentally ill can keep from becoming second, third, or fourth time offenders.

I truly believe the mentally ill need many services to become well again. They can become well. However, they must face the consequences of their actions.

Bill

 

Not that I disagree with you(in fact, I agree with you strongly), but at what point is the person a "child" and at what point an adult, in your opinion?

 

Not that I disagree with you(in fact, I agree with you strongly), but at what point is the person a "child" and at what point an adult, in your opinion? </font>[/QUOTE]14 is not an adult.

 

Not that I disagree with you(in fact, I agree with you strongly), but at what point is the person a "child" and at what point an adult, in your opinion? </font>[/QUOTE]I would say 14 years old qualifies for a child. And legally in this contry a long as they are under 18 they are a child.

 

That's only a partial answer to the question that I asked. Also, I was referring to a "moral" definition, and not a legal one. The legal standards are set, but do change from state to state when it comes to sex.

 

I'm afraid I don't understand the contex of the question. If, morally, we're speaking of when a person is responsible for their own actions, that's quite a different discussion than a question of when it is permissable to have sexual relations with an individual.

Please clarify.

 

I think everyone agrees that child molestation is reprehensible...

I do see from a moral depravity side a difference if the age differences are very small. Sex outside of marriage is wrong. But I would look at a 21 year-old having a consensual relationship with a 17 year-old with less disgust than when a 31 year-old person does so wtih a 17 year-old.

For me, the amount of disgust for the criminality of it goes up based on these factors:

-age of victim and perpetrator.
-age difference of the two (mentioned above).
-in what capacity the two people were associated (it's a legally worse issue if it's teacher/student than if it's two people at a party).

All of the above assumes:
-that the relationship was consensual (otherwise, it's ALWAYS rape, consensual...depends on age of consent, etc.)
-All sex outside of marriage, in any form, is an abomination in God's eyes.

Hope I'm not misunderstood as being understanding of this case...

 

I'm not misunderstanding you as sympathizing with the rapist, I just don't understand how this relates to your original question.

 

I'm afraid I don't understand the contex of the question. If, morally, we're speaking of when a person is responsible for their own actions, that's quite a different discussion than a question of when it is permissable to have sexual relations with an individual.

Please clarify. </font>[/QUOTE]I'm not talking about when it's morally acceptable; I'm talking about when a person is morally still a minor. rbell answered the question with what I had in mind when I asked. We live in a secular world, and as such, premarital and extramarital sex are "acceptable. I'm talking about at what age do you think morally that a person is responsible for his own actions. I have heard some say that 14 is old enough. I have heard others say that it's simply a matter of the difference in ages. (Some even apply this concept to legal adults.)

This doesn't even bring to light the contradictions and discrepancies between whether the perpetrator/victim is male or female.