What are your feelings on abortion and the death penalty?

Question

Please explain. Do your feelings contradict each other? Should both be stopped?

But how often are innocent people put to death? (I don't know that's why I'm asking.)

Answer 1

In my opinion, abortion should continue to be legal for the reason that, before the Roe versus Wade Supreme Court ruling, illegal abortions were regularly performed, in some cases under nonsterile or unsanitary conditions and by unqualifed, even unlicensed, persons; in many instances, not only was the fetus destroyed, but the woman seeking the abortion might have experienced hemorrhaging, infection, or even death. To reverse Roe v. Wade will not prevent abortions but will only cause the return to unsafe illegal abortions.
My feelings regarding the death penalty are not so sharply defined. I would oppose it from the point of view that, doubtlessly, over time, innocent people have been executed. Conversely, when the evidence is overwhelming (DNA proof, for instance) or an uncoerced confession has been made and the crime committed has been horrendous enough to have warranted the sentence of death, then sometimes I feel that execution is too humane a means of disposing of such violent criminals. Life in prison without possibility of parole may be the more severe sentence. In addition, there is the matter of extenuating circumstances: what in the perpetrator's life might have precipitated such antisocial behavior? The solution to the problem just is not entirely objective...

Answer 2

Abortion is a medical decision, and used to provide the patient (the woman) with a longer or healthier existance (in most cases, in abortion for convenience cases, the woman's mental health might be a factor, would raising the child to adulthood cause her emotional stress?). If a woman wants an abortion, and can convince a Doctor to perform the procedure, so be it. The life of the woman has been enhanced through medical technology (in her eyes).

The death penalty is a legal remedy for crimes committed, not to mention a method of evolution! If a person is convicted of a crime so horrible that the death sentence is imposed, do we REALLY want this sucker in society and breeding? Sometimes you just have to add a little chlorine to the gene pool!

We are talking about two different types of procedures, as different as apples and oranges! Both should be continued, and the lag time between conviction and imposition of the death sentence should be drastically reduced! From an average of 10-30 years to say, a maximum of 5 years, with two years being the minimum!

Answer 3

I think that abortion is more dependant on the situtation of the mother. Obviously, any baby can be given up for adoption. You can tell whether the baby has anything 'wrong' with it while it is still growing inside the womb, so the Mother might decide to get rid of the baby so that it doesn't 'suffer' while it is alive. People have different views on whether abortion is like murdering an innocent child.

We had a discussion on death penalties in class today and I think that if the punishment fits the crime, then maybe. Some people think an eye for an eye, but you have to weigh out how wrong the punishment is. For example, my teacher was saying that if her son got knocked down and killed by someone who was just over a drinking limit would that deserve a death penalty? She also said that is it as bad as someone planning to take her son and then killing it? Either way, her child would be dead but which would deserve the death penalty? Would both?

Answer 4

These are really separate issues. The death penalty can be opposed on the facts- it costs much more than life in prison, risks executing innocent people, is not a deterrent, is not reserved for the worst of the worst, but for those people with the worst lawyers, prolongs the agony of the families of murder victims. The alternative, life without parole, is available in 48 states, means what it says and incapacitates criminals (keeps them from re offending) at a fraction of the cost of the death penalty.

Here is some information on executions of innocent people and the death penalty. In the last year or so, there are four cases where there is significant evidence that an innocent person was executed.

1. Cameron Willingham- executed for setting a fire that led to the deaths of several people. The techniques of investigating fires in criminal cases have greatly advanced. They now show that the fire was an accident, not arson. Texas.

2. Carlos DeLuna- executed in Texas for a fatal stabbing. Sloppy police work, a failure to pursue a more likely suspect (who bragged of being the actual killer and about getting another man to pay for it.

3. Gary Graham. Texas. details available at Death Penalty Information Center
4. Calvin Griffiths. Missouri. details available at Death Penalty Information Center. The local district attorney has actually reopened an investigation into this case, because she has strong doubts about it.

More cases will certainly turn up. Death penalty supporters have always claimed that no innocent person has been executed in the modern era (1976-present.) We do know that 123 people have been released from death row with hard evidence of their innocence. (That is over 10% of the number of executions)
It is likely that more than 4 innocent people were executed, but because executions normally close cases, we may never know for sure.

Answer 5

I am morally opposed to Abortion, however, I respect that it is a woman's right to have a clean and safe medical procedure. This should not be disallowed. I'm not going to get into the whole innocent life thing, because there are other aspects to look at, in this case, and, I, being a guy am not really qualified to speak authoritatively.

The death penalty... If we have it, stop the him-hawing around, and execute the poor creatures who we hand this penalty to. There is nothing worse than waiting for an inevitable and bad outcome. No more waiting a decade to execute. If there is no appeal, then get it over with. If there is, then place it on priority. This is a life, not someones I-got-food-poisoning-because-I-got-the-green-apple-two-step lawsuit, designed to leech money off of others. There is no reason Death Row should be crowded. It should be an empty and lonely place. I am in favor of the death penalty. Cruel and unusual punishment would be putting these class of criminals back into society, where they could repeat their offenses.

Answer 6

i believe that there are some circumstances in which abortion is necessary. for example if a woman is raped or a victim of incest. She should NOT have to bare the burden of raising a ill gotten child. Which is why it should be mandatory regardless of religion at any hospital that a woman should be entitled to the morning after pill. It should be given to victims and become available without prescription from a local pharmacy. there would be a lot less abortions. Besides, for the most part the children given up for adoption usually end up lost in the system or on the street and taxpayers have to foot the bill. However, a woman's body is her own, you have no more right to tell a woman she MUST give birth then you have the right to tell her she can cut her hair! its really not so much who should and who should not have an abortion- its more circumstantial. if it threatens the mothers life and may not serve to term anyway, why keep the baby? what about fetuses growing in the fallopian tubes? or babies so malformed or retarted? that isnt to say that all challenged children should be killed, i'm saying serious problems that effect the child's health. what about young girl who make a mistake- you know, there are two people making a baby here- why is it on the mother? why doesnt the father get any harassment? cause you dont know who he is? BULL.

the death penalty however applies to those criminals who have given up their rights by committing murder and rape and extreme violence. they are no longer human. these are concious decisions. we do not need that kind of violence in our society- we have enough wars and starvation we do not need these people brutally murdering our families. they have forfitted their rights as HUMAN BEINGS. therefore they need not be treated as such.

so thats my thought.

Answer 7

I am both pro-choice and pro-death penalty.

I do not feel that a woman that was raped should be forced to carry Rapist Jr. for nine months, have to put up with everything that comes with pregnancy (including when strangers ask questions, is she supposed to paste on a smile and act all happy? Or tell complete strangers about the rape?), then, after having the baby and giving it up for adoption, have to spend the rest of their life wondering if that person will one day stalk and hunt her down, not caring what barging into her life will do to her, because he/she is "curious".

And I also do not feel that someone that murders, or even rapes or molests a child should spend the rest of their life getting free shelter, free food, free clothes, free laundry service, free cable, free internet, free gym, free medical and dental care, a whole list of other things prisoners get for free, and not have to work if they refuse to, and get to spend their days lounging around watching TV or hanging out in the court yard, all at the expense of the hard working, law-abiding citizen.

Answer 8

Abortion replaces infanticide, which is a normal, natural population control. I'm for it, and have been since I was a young girl and China ruled to have only one kid per couple.
Death penalty?
Uh, NO.
I can't say I know for sure that the studies I am about to quote are correct, hey, it's statistics, right?
But it's been shown or suggested that hte murder rate goes up 8% for two weeks in the area in which an execution takes place.
It better not be MY son who gets killed in that extra 8%, you know?
Death to the Death penalty!
Not contradictory- practical.

Answer 9

I am for a womans right to make decisions concerning her own body. Nobody has the right to force a woman to bear a child if she doesn't want to.

I am against the death penalty because murder is murder...whether it is state sanctioned murder like the death penalty or the street thug in a drive-by.

Answer 10

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