Did "The Incest Loophole" Cost the Lives of Four Police Officers in Washington?

In March, 2008, I wrote an article about the PROTECT organization and their efforts to battle the incest loophole that is on the books in many states across our country. PROTECT: A National Pro-Child, Anti-Crime Association

The PROTECT organization, now located in Knoxville, TN, has been faithfully battling the incest loophole for many years. And because of their efforts, many states have now removed it from their laws.

In essence, the loophole allows perpetrators who choose to rape their own family members, to receive a lighter (or no) sentence than perpetrators who rape strangers. This law is antiquated and unjust and many people are not even aware of its existence.

Recently in the state of Washington, four police officers were killed by a man who had been released from prison after raping his 12 year old step-daughter. It seems that because he chose to rape a family member, the court system winked at his indiscretion and let him go free. He went back to his family, supposedly at a different address than the one where he had previously raped his step-daughter. Can you begin to imagine how unsafe she felt, knowing he was out of prison? Her life has been forever changed by the actions of her step-father.

The question must be asked. Is the Incest Loophole alive and well in Washington state? If this man had raped a stranger off the street, would he have remained behind bars? Was the rape of a family member deemed simply a family matter and a social problem instead of the crime that it is?

This is a classic example of how the incest loophole works. And in the end, it cost the lives of four police officers. Had Maurice Clemmons remained behind bars for the rape of his step-daughter, those four officers would still be alive today. The incest loophole is very costly, not only to the victims of incest, but to society in general. We simply cannot afford to turn away from the awful truth of this antiquated law. The incest loophole should be abolished from the laws across our entire country. It is unfair and unjust.

It seems that everyone is trying to shift blame for the release of Maurice Clemmons. No one wants to accept responsibility for wrong-doing. But who will plead the case of the twelve year old girl who was forcefully raped at his hands? She suffered a life altering, life shattering experience and it was hardly noticed.

When "we the people" have had enough of such injustice, when "we the people" step up and say "enough", then, maybe then, that incest loophole will be just as dead as Maurice Clemmons.

Sources:
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/files/2009/12/ClemmonsJuly242.pdf
Protect.org