Who of you remembers the day...
you decided to be straight?
you decided to be gay?
you decided that petite brunettes with green eyes are sexy?
you decided that women wearing scrubs is a turn on?
you decided that you enjoy being dominated in bed?
you decided that you get off on sex outdoors?
you decided that you have a fetish for women's socks?
...
Well, can you remember?
I can remember being attracted to Meghan when we were both in Kindergarten. No one told me to be. I just was.
So who thinks that pedophiles wake up one day and decide that they want to be attracted to children? When do they decide to be a member of the most vilified group in world?
I don't think any of us has a choice. I didn't. You don't. They don't. We all come out hard-wired in different ways. Some people simply come out on the right side of history. Others don't. Had you been born gay a few decades or centuries ago, then you may have been burned at the stake. Had you been born as a pedophile during Roman times, you may have enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.
Point is, we are all governed by the laws and societal norms into which we are born.
Do I think that the average, non-violent (non-functional) pedophile is evil? Not at all. In fact I may take pity on them for harboring feelings and urges that they didn't ask for and struggle to contain.
Do I think that ANY violent offender of children should be dealt with to maximum extent of the law? Absolutely!
Do I think that child porn is a gateway drug to full-blown pedophilia? I'm not sure. I enjoy watching (adult) threesome videos but that doesn't mean I will ever engage in one. How much kinky porn have you all watched that has actually motivated you to act on what you saw? I assume the same goes for CP.
Do I agree with ANY sort of non-consensual sex? No! And as much as I am sure pedophiles disagree to the contrary, children are simply incapable of granting consent. They lack the maturity to recognize the consequences of their actions and can far too easily be manipulated by a "trusted" adult friend or family member. Now, the definition of the "age of consent" I may take issue with. Can the law accurately and flatly define this age as 18 in all cases? Probably not but everyone grows up at different rates, so I understand that the law must strive to find a happy medium of course.