The horrifying discovery of the kidnapped women Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus in Cleveland, Ohio has caused an unlikely twist in America’s abortion debate. Ariel Castro, the captor, imprisoned the three women in his home for over ten years but two weeks ago they dramatically escaped after neighbours noticed a disturbance.
What’s more, Castro is accused of repeatedly beating and raping the women to induce abortions over the decade. Legal tensions have arisen surrounding the question as to whether one can categorically prove that Castro did cause the miscarriages. If proven, his current charges would be upgraded to murder, but oddly, the homicide charges depend on an unlikely breakthrough in America’s abortion debate.
We have heard it all before. Some argue that the moment of conception is when a new life is born and from this stage foetuses should be considered as human. Others will claim that life begins later on and consequently, a young foetus cannot be considered human. The application of the latter, however, makes for uncomfortable reading when applied to Castro’s actions.
Are we really comfortable with the argument that asserts Castro’s innocence on the grounds that the brutally aborted foetuses were not actually humans? Sure, he is likely to spend the rest of his life in jail, but the nature of his charges is important for justice in the long run.
Castro continually beat and raped the three women, with Miss Knight being reported to have had five miscarriages during her imprisonment. He prevented any visitors from entering further than his kitchen and always had music playing to mask any possible sounds to ensure his secret was never revealed. His astute calculation makes the case even more chilling as he was fully aware of the sins of his actions. Castro must face trial for multiple counts of homicide and if found guilty, should be considered for the death penalty notwithstanding the ongoing the complexities of America’s abortion debate.
America, as the world’s most powerful country, has a huge influence over contemporary definitions of freedom. It claims to be a bastion of liberty; a nation where justice is practised every day. If a baby killer cannot be convicted for his crimes because of humanity’s longest running ontological debate, then the USA is not living up to its proclamations of liberty and freedom. Castro’s actions should not be used as a political football- it is a matter of justice.
As a state that still uses the death penalty, Ohio executed three prisoners last year – more than any other state outside Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma. But Castro’s own brother would prefer his sibling to “rot in jail”, describing him as “a monster” and arguing that death is the easy way out. So, what should be his punishment?
That’s a question for the US judicial system but the politics of America’s ideological abortion debate must not form the basis of his sentence, whatever it may be.