Florida to seek death penalty for child rapist

This man has been accused of heinous crimes.

The state of Florida will pursue the death penalty against an accused child rapist, which is likely to result in a legal battle challenging current Supreme Court precedent.

Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1297 into law, allowing child sexual assailants to be punished with the death penalty, as The Blaze reported.

State Attorney William Gladson announced last week the state would seek the death penalty against Joseph Andrew Giampa, 36, who has been indicted on heinous sex crimes against a child.

Giampa was arrested in November after police identified him raping a child on camera in a video allegedly found on his laptop. He has been charged with six counts of sexual battery of a child under 12 and three counts of promoting the sexual performance of a child.

Gladson said Giampa qualified for the death penalty due to the "severity of the crime and its impact on the community."

Governor DeSantis voiced his support in a post on social media.

“Today, @flsao5 announced that they will seek the death penalty in a case of sexual battery against a child under age 12,” he wrote on X. “It will be the first case to challenge SCOTUS since I signed legislation to make pedophiles eligible for the death penalty. @flsao5 has my full support.”

When 1297 was signed, DeSantis made clear that Florida is prepared to defend the law all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled against the death penalty for sexual assault in 2008.

"The Governor is prepared to take this law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule judicial precedents which have unjustly shielded child rapists from the death penalty and denied victims and their loved ones the opportunity to pursue ultimate justice against these most heinous criminals,” a statement from DeSantis’ office said at the time.

Link: Florida Will Pursue Death Penalty Against Accused Child Rapist Under New Law

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A report issued in response to requests from Republican lawmakers has revealed that abortion giant Planned Parenthood received almost $2 billion in federal funding and its affiliates were issued $90 million in COVID relief funding intended for small businesses.

In January 2022, 142 congressional lawmakers, headed by Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, requested that the Government Accountability Office release information on federal funding received by Planned Parenthood and other health centers that qualify for federal funds.

The Christian Post reports that the GAO found that 44 Paycheck Protection Loans were issued to 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates to a total of $89 million between April 3, 2020 and May 31, 2021.

"In total, Planned Parenthood affiliates received approximately $89 million in loans, of which the entire amount — including interest — had been forgiven as of May 1, 2023," the report said.

Meanwhile, Department of Health and Human Services increased its obligation to Planned Parenthood from $5.71 million to $27.06 million between 2021 and 2022.

"While small businesses struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, Planned Parenthood illegally siphoned over $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, specifically designed to help our mom and pop shops keep their doors open," Blackburn, who found the data of the report “appalling,” told The Christian Post.

"The American people want their tax dollars spent responsibly and in line with our nation's values — not on the Left's abortion-on-demand agenda. I will never stop fighting to protect the unborn and end taxpayer-funded support for the abortion industry," she also said.

Link: Planned Parenthood Received $90 Million in COVID Loans Meant for Small Businesses

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An English High Court has allowed a 150-meter buffer zone around an abortion clinic to stand following a challenge from local pro-life advocates who argued that banning Bible reading and prayer constituted a violation of free speech.

The Christian Post reports that Lord Justice Warby and Justice Thornton ruled against 40 Days for Life Bournemouth, which had sought to contest the legality of the exclusion zone around the British Pregnancy Advisory Group’s abortion clinic in Bournemouth.

The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council established the zone through a Public Spaces Protection Order in October 2022 which the Christian Legal Center, in support of 40 Days for Life’s legal challenge, had been the result of “unlawful” proceedings.

Such buffer zones around abortion clinics have been established around clinics in England following an amendment to the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act that was passed in January.

Pro-life ministries whose members attempt to pray for and reach out to abortion-seeking women outside clinics have found their activities restricted, with a few notable cases of volunteers being cited for silent prayer.

Bournemouth’s zone, however, also happens to include private residences so critics have raised concerns that private citizens could be arrested for praying or reading the Bible in their own homes.

Christian Concern, of which the Christian Legal Center acts as a legal arm, plans to challenge the ruling.

Link: UK Court Allows City to Keep Buffer Zone Banning Prayer, Bible Reading

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