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I think a pardon is not wise. A pardon implies that he was "guilty" but shouldn't have been punished, or perhaps not-guilty and erroneously convicted, rather th
by InclinedPlane 13y ago
I think a pardon is not wise. A pardon implies that he was "guilty" but shouldn't have been punished, or perhaps not-guilty and erroneously convicted, rather than that the law was entirely unjust. A pardon implies that it is possible to unwind the wrongs of the past retroactively and make it as though they never happened.
History cannot be rewritten, wrongs cannot be righted after the fact. The best way to honor Turing's legacy is to fight against unjust laws that still exist today.
- jiggy2011 13y agoA pardon and an apology are different things. In this case both are necessary and the apology has already been given. A pardon is necessary because without it he will still be recognised as a criminal by the state since he technically broke the law at the time.
- adamc 13y agoWhy is it necessary? He's dead, and likely so are those who prosecuted him. The whole push seems pointless to me. I don't dispute the injustice of what happened to him, but I don't see how a pardon makes it better in any way.
- jiggy2011 13y agoIt's symbolic and sends a message to people who are still alive, similar to posthumously awarding a medal. You're saying "not only do no longer consider this a crime, but we no longer consider this to be a crime to the degree that we are willing to rewrite the record". It may well give comfort to both surviving family as well as send a signal to other british homosexuals who are concerned about the security of their rights.
- masklinn 13y agoWell the issue here is that he was guilty under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 Section 11 (which re-criminalized male homosexuality in Great Britain — actual sodomy was a separate crime)