The US state of Texas has just executed its 400th. prisoner, since the death penalty was re-introduced in 1976, according to SvD. How can a country which prides itself on being free just and democratic still cling to the barbaric practice of executing criminals?
Its not a deterrent, it does nothing to protect society and although the families of those hurt by crime might feel some sense of justice, it is a cruel way to treat the families of those being killed who are themselves innocent of the crimes. It's very hypocritical to condemn others for violating human rights and at the same time continuing to violate the right to live. Sure these people are convicted killers themselves, but that is not the point. I don't hold with this 'eye for an eye' mentality.
I wonder why the Christian Right does not stand up and demand an end to the killings? They seam to have such influence in so many other areas of American life, they must have an opinion. I guess the problem is that the bible has as many passages which can be interpreted as being in favour of capital punishment as it has ones which appear to appose it.
A sign of life
6 months ago
4 comments:
"How can a country which prides itself on being free just and democratic still cling to the barbaric practice of executing criminals?"
- For the same reason (?) we kill about 30 000 unborn babies every year. ITS LEGAL!
Do you see the hypocracy in fighting to save the lives of hard core criminals, and at the the same time allowing the murder of innocent human beings?
In Sweden we have killed about one million babies since abortion was legalized in the 70:ies.
Please advise.
Best Regards Daniel
When a sperm fuses with an egg and begins to divide it is not an innocent human being, it's just biology. I don't see how you can expect to offer the same rights to a collection of cells as you do to a full grown person.
The right to go through with the pregnancy lies with the women and it is her life and wellbeing which is most important. Now at some point the collection of cells does become sufficiently developed to be given the rights of any other baby and that is why abortion should be limited to the early part of the pregnancy.
The people being executed in the US are often not hardened criminals as you say but people from the poorer non-white communities who do not have acess to the same kind of legal representation afforded to the many other killers sitting in US jails. I'm not soft on murderers I just think it is wrong to execute them.
Bush, and the Christian Right he represents, is anti-abortion but pro-capital punishment and this is the real hypocracy.
At just seven weeks a tiny little heart is beating, after what you call the sperm fusing with an egg.
Is this still just "biology"?
I don't think so. After a boy or a girl is born, life is in most countries concidered ended when the heart quits beating.
Why not concider the beginning of life with the same measurment? In other words - life begins when a heart STARTs beating.
Anyhow, I guess you don't see or don't want to see my point so, we'll probably not get much further.
Best Regards Daniel
P.s. May I apply the same "logic" to already born "babies" you do to the unborn? - For instance - When a human being, in cold blood, kills another human being he or she ceases to be human and is now degraded to just a "being" thus giving any goverment the right to terminate this "being".
Or better yet - let's just call him or her "biology" to ease any associations to human beings............
If somebody is declared brain-dead due to some trauma like a car crash then it means there brain function has ceased but their heart is still beating. So by your definition switching off the life support machine would be murder, eller hur ?
For this reason, I would not agree that life begins when the heart starts beating, but rather when the brain functions begin to develop and some form of awareness evolves.
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