ACLU complained that child murderer was denied gender-affirming care in prison

by WorldTribune Staff, June 20, 2023

The online community slammed the ACLU after the leftist organization complained that a child murderer who was executed on Thursday by the state of Florida had been denied “gender-affirming” care for more than 30 years in prison.

Florida executed Duane Owen — a man who was convicted in 1984 for stabbing to death 14-year-old Karen Slattery. After stabbing her 18 times, Owen raped Slattery’s dead body. Two months later, Owen used a hammer to beat to death Georgianna Worden, a 38-year-old mother of two. Both killings occurred in Palm Beach County.

Duane Owen

According to the ACLU, the real issue was that Owen, who identified as female, did not receive “gender-affirming” care while he was in prison.

While not mentioning that Owen was a convicted child murderer and rapist, the ACLU tweeted: “The state of Florida never provided medically necessary gender-affirming care to Duane Owen — causing her enormous suffering and violating her right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment for the more than 30 years she was in state custody.”

In a second tweet, the ACLU wrote: “In legal papers she drafted, Owen wrote that she ‘should be accorded the essence of human dignity and be allowed to become who she was meant to be before her death. No one should be killed by the state. The time to end the racist, unfair and cruel death penalty is now.”

To say the ACLU was ratioed is an understatement. Here are just some of the responses:

• “We need to boycott the ACLU for this, there is no coming back from such a horrifically uncalled for statement.”

• “You’re arguing that it was “cruel and unusual” not to house a murderer and rapist with women.”

• “I’ll take something Satan would Tweet for $1,000 Alex”

• “Duane was a man, not a woman. He was also a brutal murderer. Lastly, there is absolutely no such thing as “medically necessary” mutilation “care” especially for a barbaric murderer at state expense. If the ACLU is so pro cutting up and mutilating people, the ACLU ought to pay for it themselves.”

• “So y’all are saying that he’s the victim in all this? Gtfoh. My thoughts and prayers are with the actual victims.”

• “I mean, as far as Community Notes wins go, this is a big one.”

• Amazing. Beyond parody. You are unfit for purpose.

• “The ACLU is a joke and a shell of itself. This is an unbelievably bad tweet. Although, par for the course for you people.”

Owen was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. on Thursday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. One of Florida’s longest-held death row inmates, Owen was 23 at the time of the attacks and 62 when he was executed.

Slattery was repeatedly stabbed and raped in a home in Delray Beach while two children in her care were sleeping. The children weren’t harmed during the attack.

Two months later, in May 1984, Worden was sleeping in her Boca Raton home when Owen struck her several times with a hammer and raped her, according to court records. One of Worden’s children found her body the next morning while getting ready for school, according to the record.

Owen’s lawyers had argued that he shouldn’t be executed due to his insanity. The state Supreme Court rejected his latest appeal two weeks ago and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected it Wednesday.

Owen’s lawyers had also argued that he was schizophrenic and suffered from delusions.

Prosecutors had argued that while Owen had mental health issues, nothing would preclude his being executed because he was aware it was punishment for his crimes. Psychiatrists for the state testified that Owen’s schizophrenia was an act that he discussed when being evaluated, but he otherwise showed no signs of the illness.

And while the defense had argued Owen had dementia and gender dysphoria, psychiatrists for the state said Owen had a good memory and didn’t appear to present himself as female. They said instead that Owen was sexually sadistic, according to court records.


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