There was a discussion on Facebook earlier today about the 56 year old British woman who was sentenced to death in Bali for drug smuggling. (If you're unaware of the story, it's here)
The original poster was against the death penalty, and took issue with the Balinese authorities saying that her activities were harmful to Bali as a tourist destination. He thought their use of the death penalty would stop people going.
My response was that I've been to countries that have the death penalty, and would go to others. As a tourist it doesn't affect me. I'm not a drug smuggler.
Then the pr0-capital punishment lobby put their side, saying that it cut crime (erm...there's never been ANY data to prove that it is a deterent), and that she deserved it. Well, that's their opinion and their entitled to it.
Personally I'm against it, as one innocent who gets executed is one too many. All the apologies and posthumous acquittals in the world won't bring back the innocent people wrongly executed. But I digress.
The question I asked - which as I write this still hasn't been answered by the pro lobby - was this. Would YOU be prepared to be the executioner. If there was a vote on capital punishment in the UK tomorrow, and it passed, would you be prepared to carry out the sentences? If not, then you would effectively be asking someone to do something that you yourself were not prepared to do. And that, in my opinion, is wrong.
I would not be prepared to do it. I could not vote in favour for that reason, and the previously stated reason that one innocent wrongly convicted is one too many, and the fact that the taking of a life even if legally sanctioned, is just plain wrong. It's still murder. (in my opinion. Yours may differ, and you're entitled to your opinion, and I don't judge)
Bit of a downer of a post, but it's the topic of the day on FB, so here it is.
The original poster was against the death penalty, and took issue with the Balinese authorities saying that her activities were harmful to Bali as a tourist destination. He thought their use of the death penalty would stop people going.
My response was that I've been to countries that have the death penalty, and would go to others. As a tourist it doesn't affect me. I'm not a drug smuggler.
Then the pr0-capital punishment lobby put their side, saying that it cut crime (erm...there's never been ANY data to prove that it is a deterent), and that she deserved it. Well, that's their opinion and their entitled to it.
Personally I'm against it, as one innocent who gets executed is one too many. All the apologies and posthumous acquittals in the world won't bring back the innocent people wrongly executed. But I digress.
The question I asked - which as I write this still hasn't been answered by the pro lobby - was this. Would YOU be prepared to be the executioner. If there was a vote on capital punishment in the UK tomorrow, and it passed, would you be prepared to carry out the sentences? If not, then you would effectively be asking someone to do something that you yourself were not prepared to do. And that, in my opinion, is wrong.
I would not be prepared to do it. I could not vote in favour for that reason, and the previously stated reason that one innocent wrongly convicted is one too many, and the fact that the taking of a life even if legally sanctioned, is just plain wrong. It's still murder. (in my opinion. Yours may differ, and you're entitled to your opinion, and I don't judge)
Bit of a downer of a post, but it's the topic of the day on FB, so here it is.
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