A growing number of Republican-led states are seeking to revive the death penalty for child rape. Alabama lawmakers approved legislation that would allow child rapists to be sentenced to death. The measure comes as some Republican-led states hope to entice the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the decision banning capital punishment for such crimes. The bill would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty when an adult is convicted of rape or sodomy of a child under 12. Such sentences are now considered unconstitutional.
