To the editor:

I am absolutely outraged to read that Judge Paula Martin believes that any 13-year-old girl, no matter how intoxicated she was, could possibly be an “active participant” in her own rape. According to the Journal-World, Judge Martin also believes that because the rape lacked the use of force or threats, the harm this girl suffered was somehow less than that of other rape victims.

Does she think this girl is just going to chalk this one up as a lesson learned and forget about it? The emotional scars from rape can last a lifetime, and are not easily put aside. Any sex with a girl under the age of 14 is rape. It is also rape to have sex with someone who is too intoxicated to give consent. The young girl in this case met both of those criteria, yet instead of Judge Martin finding the crime against her even worse, she blamed the victim.

Are we back to the days when a woman “asked to be raped” because she wore sexy clothing? No one deserves to be raped, regardless of their own behavior, especially a child. Judge Martin sentenced these two men to 60 DAYS in jail and a few years probation. This girl will be suffering a lot longer than 60 days. Perhaps Judge Martin might have felt differently if this had happened to her own daughter or someone she loved. I can’t even begin to imagine the devastation I would feel if something like this were to happen to my daughter. My heart goes out to this victim and her family.

Ginny Spangler,

Lawrence