Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty?

Question

How can those who consider themselves to be pro-life also be pro-death penalty, and sometimes even pro-war (which inevitably leads to deaths)? Isn't this a blatant contradiction in one's morals and ethics? I would think that being pro-life should extend to every human being regardless of age or circumstances. Please do not answer unless you are ready to back your answer up with sound reasoning; don't just say, for example, that "I am that way because __________ (insert applicable word) tells me to be."

svede1: if capital punishment is proven to be a crime deterrent, than how do you explain the fact that there are always people on death row? It is my position that, if a person is going to commit a crime "worthy" of the death penalty, they're not going to care what the consequences are.

Stephen: I wasn't specifically taking about the Iraq war, but since you brought it up, please remember that Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11. They were not harboring al Qaeda, nor were they personally involved in the attacks. So, how is this war justified by ANYONE'S definitions?

Answer 1

I'm with you on this one too. There is no asterisk (*) on the 10 commandments for "Though Shalt Not Kill" saying (* With the exception of....).

You don't twist the words into your own meaning or interpretation, you either follow it to the tee or you don't.

Thanks for bringing up this question!

Answer 2

I agree completely with you. You can't be pro-life and pro-war at the same time.
And while I don't know if there is such a thing as "sound reasoning" when you talk about someones life, I think that there can be some very strong feelings about why someone believes they way that they do. Now while I am not necessarily against war, I believe that this one has gone too far and too long. It is no longer a "just" war. Had Bush not invaded Iraq, I would still support what he is doing. However, he got away from the task at hand and decided to do something else with bad intelligence and lies.
I believe in the death penalty and I believe in a woman's right to choose.
I am not a big proponent of abortion, but I believe that it should be a legal option. I guess I believe in abortion mostly if it is done early in the pregnancy.
I believe in the death penalty because while it is not a deterrent, the person who committed the crime will be punished. The family of the victim will have some small satisfaction in knowing that the person who took the life of their loved one has been punished, even if it was more humane than the murder he committed.

Answer 3

I asked a question similar to this not too long ago, and also got bashed like you are. I got answers like"there's a difference between an innocent baby and a guilty criminal idiot!"

I my self am against the death penalty for two reasons:
1. It is hypocritical for the government to say "you can't kill people, but if you do, we'll kill you.
2. I do not think any one human being should be able to decide whether someone lives or dies.

I am pro-choice for 2 reasons
1. I am not a woman, so I do not know what it is like to be in a women's situation regarding pregnancy, so I don't feel I have the right to say females can't have abortions.
2. The legal limit for abortions is 24 weeks, it is the belief in the scientific community that life doesn't start until that point.

Answer 4

I'm assuming that by "pro-life" you mean "anti-abortion". If i am incorrect, than stop reading. :-) If i am correct, then please continue.

For most of us who are Pro-Life, we believe that life begins at conception. That being said, to have an abortion means to end an innocent life. The baby being aborted did nothing wrong and is an innocent victim.

A criminal who is convicted and sentenced to death is being punished for a crime they commited. They are not innocent and more often than not committed a murder themselves. To support the death penalty is more about supporting justice and fairness, not necessarily being pro death.

Regarding your thought's on us being "pro-war", i would have to say that you are gravely mistaken on that point. War is a horrible thing and should be entered into very carefully if given a choice. I'm assuming you mean our war in Iraq or our war against terrorism/radical islam when you mention war. We were attacked on September 11th. They were at war with us way before we were at war with them. We were unfortunately put in a position to defend ourselves or more attacks would have already taken place and who knows what state our country would be in had we not defended ourselves. Wars are a necessary evil for goodness and justice to prevail. Our country was formed as a result of a war. A very tough and bloody war.

You raise some good points and touch on a few subjects which are already highly debated. I tried not to go off on a tangent about abortion or the death penalty or war but stick to the question at hand.
Hope this helps answer your question.

Answer 5

I am pro-life and anti-death penalty. I have mixed feelings about war- obviously nobody really LIKES war, but sometimes it is necessary. For example, I cannot imagine the United States not fighting in WWII, even though so many lives were lost, because it would have been wrong to send the message that randomly invading neighboring countries and killing all the Jews has no consequences.

Note that this isn't synonymous with being in favor of the Iraq war... just to be clear.

Answer 6

I have mixed feelings about it all.

For instance, I don't consider myself "pro-life" in the abortion sense. I feel that if a woman cannot take care of her baby, and she is emotionally incapable of carrying the baby and putting it up for adoption, then she should have an abortion. I believe that if the a woman is incapable of being a decent mother (and has no other options, like, having the 'capable' father raise the child)... then for the baby's sake, it should be aborted. ... If the baby is going to be neglected or beaten it's entire childhood, I think it should have been aborted in the first place. However, I don't think that a woman capable of raising a kid should get an abortion. I think that's selfishness. If she is incapable of raising a child, and has an abortion, I don't consider that being selfish, I consider that doing what's best. But that's just my opinion.

As for the death penalty, I think it should only be used for people who are incapable of being rehabilitated. If someone kills people and are sentenced to death, they may never 'learn their lesson'. In my opinion, I would rather die than spend my entire life in prison! Therefore... it's not too much of a punishment to be sentenced to death. If the person has been proven to be incapable of 'learning their lesson' then they are just wasting good space on this earth. They should be sentenced to death.

As for war... urg... I don't even want to go there.

So I guess I would consider myself in-between pro-life and pro-death, because I'm not 100% for either.

Answer 7

Arguably, the term 'pro-life' isn't really a good one. I know of nobody who wants to save all life. The task is impossible. And what would you eat?

Instead, I like to put the question this way - if we line up a bunch of hypothetical creatures, and SOME of them are going to die, where are you going to draw the line?

Most people value human life more than pretty much any other kind of life, though there are exceptions (I've met people who seem to think that animal life is equally valuable to human life, for example). If you start distinguishing between humans, I think most people would agree that socially malignant elements should go before even socially neutral elements. And probably that people who are closer to death anyway before people that are further from death.

This is just another way of describing VALUE. A dangerous life is less valuable than a safe one. Ten years is less valuable than seventy years.

And that is probably where we get many of the people who want to save all human embryoes everywhere. To them, the embryo is not only the complete antithesis of the malignant group (a sort of 'ultimate' innocent) but they are also the opposite of the group that's about to die in that they haven't even had a chance to live.

It's not even difficult to find people who want to stop these deaths on one end of the spectrum so badly that they are willing to kill quite a few other people to secure it. They bomb abortion clinics, terrorize anyone who even comes close to one, and so on. Bad stuff.

Most people who want to stop abortions don't draw the line on the spectrum QUITE so close to the embryoes, but obviously quite a few of them are willing to allow deaths of people who are threatening, such as criminals and enemies of war. It's a completely consistant view, as long as you discard that whole 'pro-life' nonsense.

To be fair, the 'pro-choice' people aren't in favour of ALL choices either. Just more of the same propaganda. If you let either side frame the argument for you, you've already lost. Peace.

Answer 8

while I am personnally pro life, I am also politically pro choice. And I believe that if someone takes the life of another person, we, as a society should reserve the right to put that killer to death.
For me it's not a moral issue, but simply a matter of economics, and logic...if the cold blooded killer is executed, then there is no need to support him/her for many decades in prison...dead men eat no food, use no electricity or water, require no shelter, and waste no more tax payer dollars.
They also do not get paroled and have the opportunity to kill more people. Further, capital punishment is a proven crime deterant

Answer 9

I am pro-life because I think that innocent babies shouldn't have to die because of their parents actions. I can be pro-death penalty although, like you, I feel I shouldn't be. It's just when I hear of someone who has murdered a child or elderly (just my soft spots), I think they deserve to die. I am not pro-war necessarily, I just understand that that is what happens between countries, although I wish it didn't.

I completely understand and I am kind of "on the fence" about some of these things myself, but hopefully I helped clear up some points. Pro-life deals with babies which is harder to accept than a murderer dying. Hope I helped a little!

Answer 10

Death, be it accidental, on purpose or the result of legal action, has always been to me, a part of the cycle of life. Like all things, we are born, we mature, and eventually, we die. The how, why, and manner only make a difference to those who remain. The best we can hope for is to die a noble death. Whatever you may consider that to be. But, die we will and that, in the end is the source of our everlasting sadness.