Tiffany and I agreed that this week we would promote a discussion on the blog about human life issues (in a way continuing off of the abortion debate started last week). So, first up, the death penalty.
Tiffany’s Stance: The death penalty is such a controversial issue that many people find it hard to take one side. Personally, I am one of those who can’t make up their mind. I see benefits to both having it and not. But to spark the debate among the bloggers, here are some reasons the death penalty should be utilized.
To start, the degree of crime can be used. Many people feel that a murderer or rapist is getting what they deserve when they are put to death. They damaged another human being’s life so theirs should be damaged as well.
A second reason, put bluntly, is efficiency. The criminals of serious crimes who are sentenced to life imprisonment are taking up place in the prisons. They are never going to be released into the world, so basically they are wasting space in the prison cells.
A third and final reason is the wasting of resources. The prison system is providing food, water, heat, and a place to sleep for people who do not deserve it. If the criminals were put to death, then those resources that would have gone to them, can go to the homeless who never did anyone any harm.
Ryan’s Stance: As everyone could plainly see last week on the blog, I am against abortion and unswervingly pro-life. However, I believe that someone who is “pro-life” cannot let that description stop at abortion. With regard to human life, I take the “seamless garment” stance: I am pro-life on all issues regarding human life, and so I also stand against the death penalty.
It is my firm belief that every human being has a right to life from conception to natural death, and the death penalty violates this fundamental right. I would condone the death penalty in one abstract situation: If a society does not have the means to adequately and securely imprison the perpetrator of a very serious crime who, outside of maximum incarceration, poses a grave threat to the life of each member of the society, that society may take action to protect itself from this person by execution. However, such situations would have to be judged on a case-by-case basis, and, as Pope John Paul II said, in the context of modern civilization such situations are difficult if not impossible to find. Other than this one exception, the death penalty must be avoided as a punishment for crime.
Many of you may assail this position in your comments, but I think a large part of our demand for the death of a criminal results from his or her dehumanization. We must remember that criminals are human beings with a fundamental right to life. This in NO WAY condones the person’s conduct or excuses him or her of due jail time (i.e. life imprisonment). However, we must also keep in mind that even criminals have a right to natural death, for how is there hope for a criminal to change his or her ways and turn from a prior life of crime if we cut his or her life short? And, of course, every such criminal would be given the opportunity to repent and make amends to the victim’s family only within the context of serving a life-sentence without the possibility of parole inside a maximum security prison. Surely there are far better ways to deal with criminal actions than death.
Now, we know that the reasons given, both for and against the death penalty, have probably not changed anyone’s mind. But what are your thoughts on capital punishment? Are you stuck in the middle with regard to this subject? Or are you one who feels strongly towards one side? Why do you take the stance you do?
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7 comments:
I have a confession to make: I am not as clearly pro-choice as I made myself out to be in the abortion comments...I felt that I wanted to provide a very liberal point of view because I thought that most people would be pro-life and I wanted to shake them up a little. I actually find myslef quite torn about abortion, because I don't think that is really any of the governments business. However, I believe that it not up to us, as humans, to decide who should live and who should die, which leads me to my stance on the death penalty:I am very strongly opposed to the death penalty because I think that God should decide who lives and who dies, not humans. Those who have committed serious crimes will be punished by God after death, and until them we should simply prevent them from harming anyone else.
Also, I don't think it is right to say "don't kill people" and then punish the criminal by killing him. I think it is hypocritical and it goes back to the Ghandi quote, "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
I am against the death penalty strictly due to the fact that there are statistics to prove that in a some cases people are put to death because of the weak system of appeals. Those people weren't granted appeals and there's always the incompetence of some lawyers, which is a big reason for an innocent person to receive the death penalty which is obviously a HUGE MISTAKE...also, the murderers/rapists should just rot to death in prison and we'll call that their natural death.
It does not make sense for the government to have the power to end someone's life, no matter what they have done.
I like when Laura says that "God should decide who lives and who dies". This is exactly my stance on the issue. It is not up to us humans to kill others; everyone's eternal fate rests in the hands of God. I don't care if the jails are too full; build more or focus more on preventing crime with success stories of people changing their lives around after jail time as opposed to scaring the nation into fearing for their lives.
Obviously, some would argue the death penalty is an effective way of teaching a lesson, but I believe that The Ten Commandments are the guidelines we should follow.
I feel very strongly that the death penalty is wrong. In most cases, people that are on death row have killed someone. It seems funny to me that we believe the crime of killing is so bad, that the worst punishment we can think of is to kill. I understand why there could be economic benefits regarding the death penalty, but the negative consequences far outweigh the benefits. There have been several instances throughout history in which people have been wrongly convicted of a crime. Who is to say that this has not happened in a death penalty case? It is scary to think that someone has been wrongly put to death due to an error in "the system". Also, I believe that life in prison would be "more" of a punishment. I would find it a worse punishment to be in jail for the rest of my life rather than not have on, but that is only my opinion. The inmate should stay in jail for the remainder of his or her life in consequence of committing the crime.
Oh goodness...The death penalty..
Good post you guys!
Seriously this is what my parents and i talk about a lot. My parents are those old fashioned, "give em the chair!" kind of people. Not like those crazy ones, but they believe people who do harm, should get it back ten-fold
I guess i agree with Sylvia mostly. our society reacts to killers as if they are the scum of the earth (which they are) so we kill them? its very controversial. but i also believe that if there is a mass murderer who has killed many many people, then i'm all for the death penalty. But for the reason of just creating space in prisons? that seems inhumane to me. No offense.
I was for the death penalty for my whole life. Actually, if I had had it my way murderers would be tortured before killed. I liked the idea of "an eye for an eye." I thought it was just to do to a criminal, exactly what they did to someone else. But then, during my senior year, my religion teacher convinced me I was wrong. He asked "Why do we kill people, who kill people to show people that killing is wrong?" I couldn't think of a good answer, and realized my logic was immoral.
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