Decriminalizing Incest in Romania

In an effort to rehabilitate people who commit incest, the nation of Romania plans to decriminalize the act and provide counseling instead. According to political advisor Dr. Valerian Cioclei, "Not everything that is immoral has to be illegal. We cannot help these people by turning them into criminals and then punishing them."

Frankly, I believe that punishment has a demonstrated history of being effective at discouraging undesirable and harmful behavior. Counseling? Not so much.

Interestingly, and in contrast, activists in the U.S. are eager to decriminalize marijuana use but it's not for the sake of rehabilitating marijuana users. It's for the sake of allowing widespread use of marijuana without criminal consequences. I suggest that decriminalizing incest will do likewise -- allow widespread incestuous relations without criminal consequences.

In a nutshell, I don't buy the counseling spiel. I suggest the Romanians have decided that incest is neither sufficiently undesirable nor harmful enough to require a law banning it.