Indy Standard

I once believed Indiana was right to use the death penalty. I thought justice required the state to exact the gravest punishment for the gravest crimes. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

That was before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, and before a lot of prayer, reflection and study. Dobbs made clear how courage can lead to change and how people can evolve. For me, it reshaped my understanding as a Pro-Lifer.

After many hours studying the writings of church leaders, philosophers and historic voices, I began asking myself: Do I really believe that all human life is sacred? The answer was yes.

If human life is sacred, it must be sacred at every stage, from conception to natural death. It cannot be sacred only in certain circumstances. If it is ever sacred, then it is always sacred. Each human life, created by God and infused with an eternal soul at conception, carries dignity. That foundational human dignity is eroded when we protect some lives while taking others.

The issue is larger than punishment. Capital punishment, funded and sanctioned by the public, is a statement about who we are as people. It measures us against our Creator and betrays us to future generations. We are not God, and we are not perfect. Even if evidence confirms a clear-headed confession, we still have no right to take another human life. The humane response is to confine criminals, nothing more, and leave judgment to God.

Execution also requires the participation of many people. A prisoner convicted of a capital crime does not carry out their own sentence and self-execute. Fellow humans escort them, prepare the chamber and administer the lethal poison. Each step involves the active participation of others in the taking of human life. Unlike a manufacturer producing bullets for general use, these people are directly involved in creating a process designed to kill a specific person. From any objective view, they are accessories to the act. Every Hoosier who has paid state taxes has, in a sense, shared in that responsibility for every execution.

If lawmakers want to maintain the practice of capital punishment, let them fund the gallows themselves. Let them escort the prisoner, bind them, mix the potion and deliver the injection. To demand others do what they will not do themselves undermines their leadership and exposes the moral weakness of the act.

"Humility, not vengeance, is the seat of wisdom, maturity and true strength."

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