The Sanctity of Human Life

Archive for April, 2006

2 Apr 2006, admin

Despite my belief that all people are made in the image of God, my tax dollars continually go towards state-sponsored killing – in wars, clinics, and prisons, which really pisses me off. I am pro-life… I find equal value in a person both before and after they’ve exited a womb – no matter where they are born, or what they have done.

I don’t understand why our country chooses to stand alongside Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria and Pakistan, in support of executing people who committed crimes before 18 years old. Isn’t it disgusting enough that we execute those whose crimes occurred as adults?

It’s ironic that our government tells criminals that murder is wrong by executing them. But there are even better reasons to oppose this form of systemic injustice… just to name a few:

1) The death penalty is racist.

~More than 75% of people on federal death row are non-white. Blacks are only 12% of our population, but make up 43% of death row prisoners.

2) The death penalty has murdered innocent people who were wrongly convicted.

~Since 1976 over 100 death row inmates have been exonerated. In other words, at least 1 in 7 actually did not commit the crime they would have been put to death for. Just ask Sunny Jacobs what it feels like – she spent 17 years in prison (5 in isolation)… but she’s the lucky one, her common law husband Jessie was executed before his exoneration.

3) The death penalty punishes the poor.

~Over 90% of defendants charged with capital crimes cannot afford to hire good representation. Instead, they are given underpaid and inexperienced court-appointed attorneys. “One searches our chronicles in vain for the execution of any member of the affluent strata in this society.” Justice William O. Douglas

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