Constant Opinions

Ohio is considering issuing green license plates to habitual, child-oriented sexual offenders. It’s an interesting concept, and really gets into whether or not habitual offenders ought to be labeled in some way. The Scarlet Letter immediately came to my mind upon reading this. Except the crime is far more horrendous.

Ohio already has a similar law in place for repeat drunken drivers to have a yellow tag on their license plate, so this is at least consistent for the state.

The mother in me screams that it’s a start and no mere label is enough. Like any other parent, or anyone else who cares about the well-being of children, child molestors are scum to me. I’m not much concerned with their social comfort.

But there’s another part of me that shudders at the thought of labeling anyone in so public a manner. It goes against my sense of personal dignity. Think about the Jews in Nazi Germany. All these comparisons get really uncomfortable.

Is this reasonable as a lifelong punishment? Will it help protect children? I’m not particularly reassured on either count.

Technorati Tags: child molesters, sex offenders, ohio, green license plates

Filed under: Controversial, Politics