The only solution

They appear from time to time, opinion pieces written from a specific viewpoint. I've written a few myself. Everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion, and the free expression of those opinions is an important indicator of how progressive a given society is. There are times, though, it seems to me, when that freedom spills over into hysteria and hatred. I've recently read a blog post by an Indian feminist on the subject of, to use her own title, 'The Rape of the Minor'. It seems to have been inspired by a truly awful case, of a 13 year old girl in India repeatedly raped by various family members over a two year period, but, as far as I'm concerned, the author has gone wildly over the top in the extrapolation of her argument. As I read it, anyone attracted to 'children' is mentally ill, and 'paedophiles' are incurables for whom 'the only solution' is chemical castration. As I've said before in this blog, rape is a crime that I find totally horrifying and abhorrent, but I find it almost equally abhorrent that all those attracted to minors are tarred with one brush, that of amorality and the complete absence of any self-control. I don't (usually) consider myself to be a paedophile in any case, although I realise that there will be many who would, but, whatever else, I most certainly don't consider myself to be mentally ill, or in need of pharmaceutical intervention to control my libido. I know right from wrong, and anything non-consensual is always wrong, irrespective of the age of those involved. I'm not expecting acceptance any time soon, but I don't expect kneejerk vilification, either.

Love & best wishes to all
 Sammy B