DeSantis Signs Bill To Allow Death Penalty For Child Rapists: Supreme Court 'Decision Was Wrong'

Fresh off his international tour, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would legalize death penalty for child rapists in the state.

What Happened: "We are making clear that in Florida, we stand for the protection of children," the governor said in a video uploaded on his Twitter handle.  "Unfortunately in our society, you have very heinous sex crimes that are committed against children under the age of 12 years old,” he said.

Calling it the "worst of the worst," DeSantis said the perpetrators of these crimes are serial offenders. The victims are very young children sometimes under eight years, he said.

The governor also noted that the offenders repeat the heinous act unless they are stopped or incapacitated.

"So, if you commit a crime that is really, really heinous you should have the ultimate punishment," he said.

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On Warpath With Supreme Court: DeSantis said the bill will challenge the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided against capital punishment for crimes like rape even though these serial offenders have violated multiple children under the age of 12.

The governor was referring to a decision by the Supreme Court in 2008 to strike down a Louisiana law that allowed the death penalty for the rape of children under the age of 12 years.

"We think that that decision was wrong," he said, adding that the only appropriate punishment is the ultimate punishment.

"This bill sets up a procedure to be able to challenge that precedent and to be able to say that in Florida we think that the worst of the worst crimes deserve the worst of the worst punishment," he added.

Reports suggest the Florida governor could soon announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential primary.