New York Times Op-Ed Suggests That Pedophiles Deserve Civil Rights

One of the few crimes in the United States considered so heinous that even convicts are shocked by it is pedophilia. Despite that, The Inquisitr has previously reported on how those who commit the abominable act either avoid justice or get the opportunity for compensation. This includes a convicted child molester suing the county for being raped in prison, and a Muslim avoiding jail time because he didn’t know that sex with 13-year-old kids is illegal.

Now there is an op-ed by the New York Times that suggests pedophilia is not a crime but an illness. What’s more, it also suggests that pedophiles deserve civil rights pertaining to said illness.

According to the exclusive op-ed by the New York Times, Margo Kaplan states that the nation’s anti-pedophilia laws are unfair. It is estimated that about 1 percent of the male population continues, long after puberty, to find themselves attracted to prepubescent children. This is known as pedophilia, and by what Kaplan reports, constitutes an illness. She even writes that laws are failing pedophiles and consequently ignoring opportunities to prevent child abuse.

Margo Kaplan adds that there are two misconceptions pertaining to pedophilia. The first misconception is that pedophilia is the same as child abuse. Her argument is that a pedophile can live with the illness and not act upon it. To help back this view up, she mentions a website known as Virtuous Pedophiles, an online organization and community which provides support for pedophiles who do not molest children and believe sex with children is absolutely wrong. She then states that the second misconception of pedophilia is that it’s a choice. Margo Kaplan objects this by presenting research which reportedly shows that the disorder may have neurological origins.

Towards the end of Margo Kaplan’s op-ed, she suggests that pedophiles deserve recognition as having a mental disorder. In her opinion, doing so would be an initial step forward. In short, Kaplan is calling to protect the civil rights of pedophiles.

“The fact that pedophilia is so despised is precisely why our responses to it, in criminal justice and mental health, have been so inconsistent and counterproductive.

“Acknowledging that pedophiles have a mental disorder, and removing the obstacles to their coming forward and seeking help, is not only the right thing to do, but it would also advance efforts to protect children from harm.”

Despite Margo Kaplan’s views, the Daily Caller reported that readers are unsure about the idea. The comments of the article alone are a testament to this. The top-ranked comment on the article brings up a very obvious situation.

“Once you give pedophiles legal protection as handicapped individuals, it will become too difficult to keep them from jobs in which they might come into contact with children.”

Another comment also explained how Margo Kaplan’s suggestion to protect civil rights of pedophiles could be an issue for other details, statutes, and judgment in the law.

“No one who has dealt with these laws in real life would suppose that such evidence is easy to establish or that it provides sufficient protection to employers, who have to consider both the vagaries of the legal system and the costs of legal action.”

Finally, the comment below brings up the issue that humanizing the act of pedophilia, in which making pedophiles victims, may demean the victims of pedophiles who act on their desires.

“I’m beginning to wonder if there is a quiet but persistent movement to normalize adult sexual contact with children. Trying to turn the basest of predators into victims… is repugnant to anyone with even the slightest exposure to the damage done to the victims of this toxicity.”

Now that you’ve read the basics of the op-ed by Margo Kaplan for the New York Times, as well as some of the comments countering her opinion, what are your thoughts? Do you agree with Kaplan and think pedophilia should be reanalyzed as an illness? Or are the comments honest in backing up why pedophilia is frowned upon in our society? Please let everyone know in the comments below.

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