Today the Georgia Supreme Court did what it should have done a LONG time ago...dismissed the 10 year sentence Genarlow Wilson was serving for having CONSENSUAL oral sex with a 15 yr old girl when he was 17 yrs old, at a party. He's been in jail for over 2 years because he (rightfully) refused a plea bargin that would have greatly reduced his sentence, because he maintained that he had done nothing wrong and was not going to admit guilt for a crime he did not commit.
The crime? He was charged with "aggrevated child molestation". Why? Because they were having oral sex and so the fact that she consented was not relevent in court... although it would have been if they had been having intercourse. Under that sentence he is considered a sex offender and upon parole would not have even been able to go home and live with his family due to the fact that he has a much younger sister, and being in contact with her would violate his parole.
I do not have words to say how incredibly disgusted I am over this case. I've been following the progression of this for a long time now. It's great that the charges were dismissed today, but no amount of apologies or justice NOW can possibly right the wrong that has been done to this young man. Nothing can give back the years spent in prison serving out a sentence for an act that should not be a crime. Nothing can take away the effects it will have on the rest of his life.
When will we as a nation learn that we cannot legislate what is and is not an acceptable sex act between consenting people? It's as if we are moving backwards instead of forwards.... Making consensual sex a crime, teaching abstinence only sex ed in schools, trying to personal impose religious beliefs as national law. We are supposed to be the greatest country on earth, and yet we are still so far behind where we should be.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/us/26cnd-georgia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_v._State_of_Georgia
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