PLATFORM : A Reasonable Right

California Penal Code 2600 provides that prisoners retain all civil rights except those that must be taken from them for the reasonable security of the prison and the safety of the public.

Civil rights certainly include the right to become a parent. This is one of the most fundamental rights of any person. There is no reasonable security need that would necessitate depriving a Death Row prisoner of this right. Civil rights are guaranteed no matter how unpopular the exercise of that right might be.

The question of whether a Death Row prisoner should become a parent must be left to the prisoner and their spouse. We have to protect the civil rights of those we may consider to be the lowest and most repugnant in our society. This is how we judge the level of our civilization.