Margaret Felice

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Media
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Performances
    • Upcoming Speaking Events
  • Speaking
  • Publications
  • Performance
    • Biography
    • Repertoire
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Death Penalty Repeal in Connecticut: Why I still oppose capital punishment.

April 5, 2012 · Filed Under: politics ·

I was happy to see some news out of my home state today that the state house had voted to repeal the death penalty: Connecticut Senate Passes Death Penalty Repeal. I know there is passion on both sides of the argument, but I haven’t changed my position that there is no place for capital punishment in a civilized society.

When Troy Davis had his macabre fifteen minutes of fame (does anyone remember him now?)  I wrote about my position on this controversial topic here: More than Fair: Why I oppose the Death Penalty. The crux of my rationale is re-posted here:

I wish I had a practical, logical explanation for why the death penalty repulses me, even when those who are executed have done horrible things. But instead I have my usual assortment of squishy affective reasons for it, and I’m still willing myself to believe that those reasons can be enough.

The death penalty says we can’t think creatively anymore. It says we give up. It says we know best, that there is no room for redemption, that death wins. It says that love and mercy have no place, that a person is defined by the worst thing they have ever done, and that if we do not kill because they have killed then “it isn’t fair”. You know who else complains that “life isn’t fair”? Seven year olds.

I want more for us than to be fair, asking an eye for an eye. I want us to comfort victims while also acknowledging that the job of our justice system is not to satisfy the desire for revenge. I want us to realize that everyone deserves defense and protection, that we are all safer when everyone -even the worst among us, who may have started out and who may even remain the weakest – is offered protection under the law. I want a world where we recognize that the line between good and evil runs through every human heart, and that there is always a chance, however slim, that we may nudge that barrier so that goodness and mercy can prevail.

Amen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Related

3 Comments

Comments

  1. Elissa / Lissiehoya / Big Blog of Crock says

    April 5, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    My husband always says that in an unstable world where you couldn’t guarantee that a mass murderer wouldn’t be able to get out and start killing again, there would be a place for the death penalty. But in our modern world where we can easily incarcerate a person for life, there is no reason that we should be so uncivilized.

    Reply
  2. Flor says

    April 5, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    AMEN! And I’m so happy & glad for Connecticut. A step (actually much, much more than a step) in the right direction. Next stop, prison reform.

    Reply
    • felicemifa says

      April 5, 2012 at 9:19 pm

      I pray it may be so, flor. It is so badly needed.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More about Margaret

Subscribe to Blog

Sign up to get my posts delivered to your inbox.
How often would you like to receive updates?

Recent Posts

  • A story I couldn’t tell you
  • What I read, 2022
  • Finding Lady’s Wells
  • A place for grief to go
  • Post-op

Topics I’ve Written About:

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Biography
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Media
  • Performance
  • Publications
  • Repertoire
  • Speaking

Search

© 2023 Margaret Felice · Headshots by Earl Christie · Website by Little Leaf Design