Death Penalty-Who Cares?

A recent survey tells us that approximately 49 percent of U.S. Catholics support the Death Penalty. This is disappointing to say the very least. Could it be that most of this 49 percent  do not attend Mass on a regular basis? Or could it be, even if they did attend Mass, they seldom if ever hear anything from the pulpit regarding the Death Penalty?

Our Catholic teaching is and always has been, “Do Not Kill”. We are taught not to resort to the Death Penalty unless it is absolutely the only way to protect the community and we know that is not the case in the world as we know it today.

We know that using the Death Penalty runs the terrible risk of killing an innocent person.

There have already been 119 innocent people, that we know of, put on Death Row for crimes they did not commit. At least seven of these were in Oklahoma. Why must we do this? Does anybody care?

Of you who belong to the 49 percent, think about this: What if, God forbid, you or a loved one were falsely accused of a terrible crime, tried and convicted and given the Death Penalty, would you still belong to the 49 percent? This does happen.

Regre-ttably, many of our state Legis-lators fall into this same category. Maybe it is high time that we who belong in the 51 percent group contact our representatives and let them know that we are tired of being forced to participate in state-sponsored killing. It is wrong and they know it is and they will not do anything about it unless they are forced.

The Death Penalty makes Oklahoma a dangerous and violent place to live. Studies have proven that states with the Death Penalty have a higher homicide rate-almost three times more-than states that do not have the Death Penalty.

Contact your elected representatives. Tell them how you feel-that you want this barbaric practice to stop and stop now.

Please God-Bless us.
Jim Fowler
Saint Charles
Oklahoma City