[Z]

Yes Kizzy. I don't agree that convicted paedophiles should be allowed to adopt but I do think there's some merit in the argument that if they've served their punishment then in theory why are they still being punished? It depends entirely on whether or not, in each individual case, experts reckon the person in question has reformed and whether they can or can't be trusted around children. My instinct would be that they can't, because paedophilia doesn't seem like something that can be cured any more than any other kind of sexual preference can be 'cured'. It can be managed, but it seems like the ultimate risk to allow someone with paedophilic tendencies to raise a child, it's asking for trouble.

It would be like putting an alcoholic in charge of a bar. Even if you hadn't touched a drop in years, would you really want to put that person in an environment where a relapse would be totally devastating, and it would have been totally avoidable if they hadn't put them in that situation? It's not just something you get over, but rather something you learn to manage with self control, and in my mind that's the level that paedophiles can get to at best if they're "reformed". They just learn to manage their impulses.

But as I said, not all sex offenders are dangerous to children so it's not fair to have them all under the same umbrella.