I am pro-life and for the death penalty. I see no reason to reconcile the two. Innocent life is ALWAYS taken through abortion/euthenasia. People on death row all claim to be innocent, but most of them are cold-blooded killers. Given parole they can be out to kill again, and many do. Just as many, if not more, kill while in prison. Prison life is terrible and makes criminals even harder criminals, on the whole. It does not reform.
The death penalty is a strong detterant against crime. In states where there is a death penalty, and it is ENFORCED, the murder rates drop considerably. In the end it saves lives.
I disagree wholeheartedly that the death penalty contributes to the culture of death. Most pro-aborts I know are strongly, unanimously against it. And I think I know why.
Their thinking isn’t that killing is good, but rather, that people should be allowed to do whatever they want with a minimal amount of consequences. You kill, but no one kills you. You can rape, torture, maim, kill, and kill again, and still be treated “fairly” and not be punished for it.
There is a man who raped, tortured, beat and killed a beautiful teenage girl. He is in prison right now bragging about it, writing to women on the internet, and plotting his next crime. He has even made a website detailing his crime and has a whole barroge of “admirers” trying to follow his example. For people like this, the death penalty is TOO humane. He will be out someday. Watch out.
Secondly, when it comes to repentance, if being face to face with death doesn’t convert you, you are beyond hope.