Off with their thumbs!

[Cow of Shame]

Interesting...

Yeah, I think they had some L&O episode on something like this...where they found a chemically castrated pedophile accepting testosterone shipments.

[Carrie]

[quote name='Cow of Shame' date='Nov 4 2005, 07:10 PM']Interesting...

Yeah, I think they had some L&O episode on something like this...where they found a chemically castrated pedophile accepting testosterone shipments.
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If he was chemically castrated, why not just stop his meds?

[beatty07]

Two big problems with castration as a punishment. First, these crimes are not about sex, they are about power and domination. That's a generalization but a pretty solid one. I think the research bears this out very convincingly.

Second, there's a big moral theology problem. The sexual faculty is an "essential" human faculty. That means it isn't like losing an arm or an eye - those are parts, not faculties. Mutilation of human sexuality is an unacceptable infringement on human nature. It doesn't matter whether everything is fully functional, or whether one is celibate, etc. The human sexuality is part of human nature and we can't morally mess with it. I can't back this up with from any teaching document of the Church, though I'm pretty sure it's come up before. I'm just repeating what my moral theology teacher said!

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='beatty07' date='Nov 4 2005, 05:59 PM'] Mutilation of human sexuality is an unacceptable infringement on human nature.
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this is why I thought it was funny that it was suggested on a catholic website....

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Nov 4 2005, 12:29 PM']You should have heard what he wanted to do to the people who were publically urinating
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if you had these platforms, you would have my vote

[RC_]

[quote name='Carrie' date='Nov 4 2005, 05:13 PM']If he was chemically castrated, why not just stop his meds? 
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'Cause court ordered castration is monitored. If you don't show up for your injections, you get arrested.

[Norseman82]

[quote name='beatty07' date='Nov 4 2005, 11:40 AM']can you imagine the ratings?

you could make a reality show where they all compete and the winner gets pardoned and keeps their thumbs. 


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Reminds me of "The Running Man"......

[Theoketos]

[quote name='tomasio127' date='Nov 4 2005, 11:34 AM']Since the Church forbids bodily mutilation, de-thumbing must be considered morally wrong.
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I think that it is because it is against their dignity. The state never has the right to take away the dignity of the person.

[Laudate_Dominum]

that reminds me of how they cut off hands for stealing in old school Islamic law.

and I imagine a lot of taggers are just teenagers. its mean to suggest that they spend the rest of their lives with mutilated hands because they were goofing off a little bit in their youth. that guy sounds like a jerk.

[photosynthesis]

[quote name='Cow of Shame' date='Nov 4 2005, 04:34 PM']While on the surface, there are some compelling arguments for this punishment, if you think about it, it sounds really odd coming from a devout Catholic, with the importance on children & reproduction in the church...
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I wasn't saying I think it's a great idea, I just say that I could understand the rationale behind doing such a thing. If a man murders, he loses the right to his own life because he took someone else's. With the same logic, a man who rapes someone else takes away another's virginity, self-worth and dignity. So, with that logic it would make sense to castrate the guy and make sure it never happens again. Procreation IS important, but so is unity. An act of rape has the potential for reproduction, but it is not free, total, fruitful or faithful love. It's violence and I think if it were effective, I would understand why sex criminals would be castrated as a punishment for their crimes.

But I don't understand the ethical rationale behind cutting someone's thumbs off.

You can't give someone else's virginity back, or you can't bring the dead to life (unless something supernatural was going on). But in cases of vandalism, you can repaint a house and clean up graffiti. It just costs money. You can't get your thumbs back (at least after a few hours).

[missionseeker]

nobody can lose the right to life.

iwonder if it would cost more to repaint or cut off the thumbs. and who pays for it the city or the person. it would be the city right?

Edited November 5, 2005 by missionseeker

[photosynthesis]

you can't lose it like, "oh, where did my right to life go? I think it might be behind the couch somewhere with my car keys and my passport"

but one of the reasons people use to defend the death penalty is that when a person murders someone else, they forfeit that right.