Warning: Images with references to sexual crimes against children
Exclusive: A Republican lawmaker in New Mexico introduced a bill Friday that would require the automatic death penalty for people convicted of certain child sex crimes.
State Rep. Stephanie Lord, who has advocated for strengthening existing laws to protect children from sexual predators, spoke in an exclusive interview with FOX News Digital following the recent release of documents related to the lawsuit against the deceased. He said that was the impetus for introducing HB 109. Jeffrey Epstein's His ex-girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, included the names of many famous people.
“When I was elected, I was horrified that every time Congress tried to pass a decriminalization bill, they said, 'Well, can we exempt pedophiles and rapists?'” Every time the Democrats say no,” Lord told Fox.
FBI records from Jeffrey Epstein document dump targeted by Senate judicial investigation
“I was horrified, so I went back and said, 'You know what? There's no cure for pedophilia. There's no cure for these rapists. So, like the state of Florida, they don't have a cure. It would be better to give him the death penalty,''' she said. She said she was referring to a Florida law enacted last year that extends the death penalty to those who sexually abuse children.
Lord's bill, if passed, would automatically carry the death penalty for people convicted of aggravated sexual penetration of a child, a first-degree felony, and criminal penetration of a child, a first-degree felony. will be done.
It would also mandate the death penalty for people convicted of first-degree felony sex trafficking of victims under 18.
Jeffrey Epstein files: Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers fought to search her emails with hundreds of conditions
Additionally, the bill would change the definition of “criminal sexual penetration of a child in the first degree” to apply to any child under the age of 18, rather than the current age of 13, and would apply to any child who commits criminal sexual penetration. requires everyone to do the following: A first-degree child commits a first-degree felony of sexual penetration of a child, which carries the death penalty.
Republican New Mexico Congresswoman Stephanie Lord and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (New Mexico State Legislature/Getty Images)
“There is no life. Life in prison is not an option. If you rape a child under 18, you get the death penalty,” Lord said.
She explained that some of the most horrific sexual abuse allegations against Epstein are of particular importance to New Mexicans. allegedly happened on his ranchknown as “Zorro Ranch,” located in the countryside south of Santa Fe and east of Albuquerque.
California Governor Clinton Newsom Spotted Vacationing at Posh Mexico Resort During Epstein Document Dump: Report
Lord also noted that the late Democratic former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's name appears in the final set of Epstein-related documents released earlier this week, and that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, along with others, He pointed out that it was revealed that he had accused the governor of Mexico. , about sex trafficking her in her 2016 deposition.
“The result would be the death penalty,” she added.
Then-Democratic presidential candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson addresses casino workers during a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 23, 2007. (Gabriel Boys/AFP via Getty Images)
Asked if the bill had enough support to pass the Democratic-led state Legislature, Lord said he hoped his Republican colleagues wouldn't be “hated,” but that Democratic lawmakers would He said he doubted whether he would support it.
“If the Democrats pass this bill, I'm happy to turn this bill over to them. I have no problem with that. I don't need to take credit for it. The problem is, I don't have to take credit for it. “We need to stop sex trafficking. We need to do it.” “Stop it. There is tolerance for pedophiles and people who rape children. This has to stop,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We have to draw a line. We have to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough. If you do that, you will be sentenced to death,” she said. added.
