Fighting Demons

5

On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court ruled that a person convicted of raping a child cannot be given the death penalty. The decision has reignited a long standing ethical dispute. The judges themselves were almost evenly split on the issue, five voted against the death penalty, four in favour of it. While the ruling has found some support, its detractors are many. That includes both presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. While the ruling has set the world talking, it got me thinking about similar issues closer to home. The sexual assault on a six year old girl traveling on a school bus in Hyderabad, elicited shocked reactions from people earlier this month. The convent school student was the last child on the bus when she was reportedly abused - and possibly raped - by the bus driver. Only six months ago, a bus attendant raped another....