America Should Make the Death Penalty a National Law

I negate the resolution Resolved: America should make the death penalty a national law. First, an observation. I, as the negative, do not have to provide an alternative to the death penalty, nor do I have to uphold the current system of punishment, sans death penalty. Contention One: The death penalty is an immoral, unjust, and impractical practice. Subpoint A: The death penalty is immoral Under the Status Quo, the death penalty is not a permissible form of punishment. First, the suffering endured by victims and the executors of the death penalty is severe, in-dignifying, and evil. Gas chamber executions, besides resembling nazi techniques, take upwards of a quarter of an hour of excruciating pain, asphyxiation, and panic to kill their victims. Hanging and the electric chair, although if used properly are among the fastest methods, both have one fatal flaw. A simple accident in human error can cause them to misfunction, requiring more pain, more time, and more cruelty to kill. The firing squad, although it has no recorded instances of causing excess pain to the victim, causes the executioners to be directly morally liable for the death of a human being, which has been documented to cause self-destructive behavior later in life. Lastly, one of the most popular forms of execution is lethal injection, but even this doesn't give the victim the dignity that we assure to animals. The second-stage of lethal injection drugs acts as a paralytic, causing the victim to be completely immobile, as their heart slowly stops. The issue with this is that even when they are paralyzed and the cells in their heart continue to function, their brain stays alive, sensing everything, through it's own death. In addition, the dehumanization caused by knowing the existential reality of oneself, the utter destruction of hope in an individual leading up to execution, is simply not permissible. Suicide rates on death row are shockingly higher than in the rest of the prison system, even among inmates with life without parole. We must not allow such an inhumane act, even on the scum of our society. Next, the death penalty causes suffering to the victim or the victim's family, who many times have no say in the fate of the criminal, and yet are forced, by law, to observe executions. Deathpenalty.org reports "The death penalty process is a traumatizing experience for families, often requiring them to relive the pain and suffering of the death of their loved one for many years. Life without parole provides certain punishment without the endless reopening of wounds." In addition, it causes victims and their families, who have already been psychologically scarred by the crime, to blame themselves for the actions of the criminal, and the death of the criminal. Subpoint B: The death penalty is impractical By it's very nature, death is an irreversible endeavor, and human error has been constant throughout human history. There have been dozens of wrongly executed individuals, and every one of these is one of the greatest harms to human rights humanity has ever experienced. Northwestern University school of law notes that there have been at least 39 cases of the execution of innocent civilians, wrongfully accused. The legal system is imperfect, and thus must not have definite capital punishment. Contention Two: A national law harms states rights In addition to the massive human rights violations of execution, the national law established by the topic means that there would be a mandate of execution across all states on violent crime. This is unconstitutional, as legislation on prison systems is EXPLICITLY left to the states in the constitution. Furthermore, it would overturn state constitutional protections AGAINST the death penalty, and would thus harm our federalism which we hold dear. To conclude, we mustn't allow such an atrocious act to take place, especially on a national level.