Thou Shalt Not Kill

If you read Genesis, God formed the first Man and the first Woman, and made them in His own image. [Genesis 2].  So it is a very simple and sacred concept:  Life, which comes from God, is a precious gift.

How to reconcile this with the fact that in the United States, the death penalty is legal in 34 states? And that in 1976, the U.S. Supreme ruled that the death penalty is Constitutional.

Many years ago, I was a victim of a violent crime. It is funny how, in the aftermath of a crisis, one's mind fixates on seemingly irrevelant things. After the assault, I was obsessed that I could not find one of my earrings. (similar to how I was compulsive about getting our Christmas tree down and out of the house, just before our son was born; when we did not yet have a car seat, or baby clothes, or his room painted!)

In the hours and days after the assault, I realized that I had stared death in the face. I survived, but it was terrifying,the stuff of which nightmares are made. My life changed from that incident and in a very gut wrenching way. But I came to realize that the last thing I would have wanted was for the attacker to die as well. Life became even more  precious to me: not just my life, but all life!

If death is traumatic, more death is barbaric, especially if the killing is intentional, and most especially if it is carried out by the state.

Recently, my son listened to a talk at his school about capital punishment. He came home choked up and told me angrily, "The State cannot do that! How can they kill someone, no matter what he did? Only God decides who lives and dies!" That is as compelling an argument as any, considering he is only in grade school

Amnesty International has years ago issued a position that the death penalty is contrary to human rights and should be abolished. The United States has opposed that position. Even Canada, our neighbor to the north, abolished the death penalty in 1976. How can we with a straight face criticize the human rights violations of other nations, when the death penalty is so widely legal here at home?

You can argue that the death penalty deters crime. It does not. Crime is just as high, if not higher in states with the death penalty.

You can say that it achieves justice for the victims. It does not. Many victims and victim's families are vehemently opposed to the death penalty.  The death of the perpetrator does not bring back the victim. I can assure you that it does not put the victim's mind at ease or heal the pain either.

You can say that it is cheaper in the long run to put the criminal to death. I find this to be an extremely distasteful argument. But if you must make it, no, it is not cheaper.

People say that if you oppose the death penalty, you are "soft on crime". I hated what the attacker did and I think he should sit in prison for the rest of his life. But I do not think that he should be executed for what he did.

You can argue that the death penalty knows no bias, that it is a penalty based only on people's choices. In fact,
42% of death row inmates are African American, way out of proportion to their being only 12.9% of our population.

Do people of color simply commit more crimes? How about the fact that DNA testing has exonerated about 139 people who were on death row? Eventually we must confront the fact that people of color lack resources, legal or otherwise, for their defense. And what a mistake to make: wrongly imprisoned is bad enough, wrongly put to death is a fatal mistake.

What can you do?

There is more information about the Catholic church's position on the death penalty at www.usccb.org/deathpenalty/

Host an Abolition Sunday at your parish, to write letters against the death penalty to your state representatives. Will this do any good? A few years ago, the death penalty in NY was abolished, so it can happen!

Consider joining a local network to abolish the death penalty. These groups advocate with the legislature, provide speakers to help educate others about capital punishment  and provide written information about the death penalty in your state or in the U.S. In CT, get in touch with CT Network to Abolish the Death Penalty.

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