Death Penalty

The Death Penalty

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The modern debate over the death penalty is certainly not limited to the Catholic Church, and, at this moment, I don’t want to explain my views on the issue. Instead, I would like to share a reflection on how Catholic Christians should, and should not approach the issue, regardless of our final position.

If we listen to the political debate, it almost always turn on the same question: Does the death penalty deter crime?

But is this really the most relevant question? Instead of asking whether the death penalty deters, shouldn’t we be asking the more fundamental question of whether it’s just? This is certainly a different question, since I’m sure we can think of all kinds of effective deterrents, that are grossly undeserved. Punishing an innocent man for a crime he didn’t commit may deter (so long as everyone thinks he’s guilty), but that doesn’t mean it’s morally justifiable.