Abolishing capital punishment, which continues to be a moral wart on the American soul, appears to be gaining momentum on a national level, even in some places that might be considered surprising.
More than 20 states have already deep-sixed the death penalty, and another three states have enacted moratoriums. Of particular interest, earlier this year three Republicans played critical roles in helping Virginia repeal its death penalty statute, notable because it joins neighboring West Virginia as the only states south of the Mason-Dixon line to enact such legislation.
Those Virginia Republicans are a snapshot of what appears to be a changing landscape, where anti-capital punishment sentiment is gaining bi-partisan support. Recent polls have suggested support for the death penalty among Republicans has dropped 10 percentage points, and if that trend continues the GOP will be teetering close to an even split on what was once considered a sacrosanct platform plank.
The glaring question is why the silence in Louisiana, why does a state that advertises itself as the “most pro-life” state in the country continue to endorse putting people to death?
As long as the death penalty remains on the books it is in disingenuous for Louisiana to claim it champions pro-life issues. The Pelican State could arguably be considered the most anti-abortion state in the Union, and should be commended for its commitment.
But pro-life mandates respecting life from conception to natural death. By any standard, having a cocktail of lethal poison injected into one’s veins cannot be considered a natural death.
Catholic Church teaching is quite clear. Previously there was what might have been considered a narrow gray area but in 2018 Pope Francis removed any doubt.
He wrote that in today’s society there is an “increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.” He added that “more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.”
He concluded “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person and (the church) works with determination for its abolition worldwide.”
Admittedly this particular teaching can be difficult to digest, or even understand, especially considering the heinousness of crimes when capital punishment has been meted out. But as a society we cannot lose focus that each and every person is a child of God, with a soul that has the potential to be saved right up to the time of natural death.
Only God knows what’s in that person’s heart in the last few minutes of his or her life. We cannot be the judge, we cannot place ourselves in God’s chair of judgment.
Previous efforts to abolish capital punishment in Louisiana have been jettisoned, victims of the political arena. But as momentum grows to respect all life, Louisiana’s voice must be heard. And in keeping with its self-proclaimed moniker, that voice must speak on behalf of life.