Sunday, March 18, 2012

Bad cases make for bad laws ...

... and in the current trial about the murder of Tori Stafford, there are a lot of hot tempers.    Some have even called for the reinstatement of the death penalty in Canada.

Bad idea.

I've explained too many times here why I am against capital punishment, but what really irks me are the so-called "pro-lifers" who are against abortion but for the death penalty.    I was under the presumption that if you're pro-life that means one supports the seamless web of life from conception to natural death.   Guess I was wrong.

No matter how solid the evidence, no matter if the case is "absolutely, one hundred percent" accurate, the deprivation of life by the state is just as abhorring as by a human being outside of the legal system.    There is and always should be the chance for rehabilitation and reconciliation.   While I do think Murder One should carry a penalty of life without parole, the prerogative of mercy must always be available to those who have truly repented.   The penalty of death removes that option.

Just ask Guy Paul Morin.

1 comment:

Suzanne said...

The notion that supporting fetal rights automatically means that you oppose the death penalty is illogical. The question of whether an unborn child deserves the right to life is separate from that of what to do with people who are guilty of crime.

That being said, I oppose the death penalty, and there are many pro-lifers who do so as well.