When Father Equals Convict

Can judges jail problem dads just for procreating?

For every good reason, no one wants to think about people like Robert Torres and David Oakley making children. Torres, a 20-year-old Texan, was sentenced in 1999 for having sex with a 13-year-old girl. This year, at a parole-violation hearing, he admitted impregnating two other teens. ("I make mistakes," he said.) Wisconsinite Oakley, 34, has a 15-year rap sheet that includes theft and witness intimidation. In the meantime, he has sired nine children (one of whom he abused) by four women.

But there is a difference between being offended by someone's procreating and making it an offense. In April, Texas District...

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