Death Penalty

I have to say, good job. But, alas, it is my turn, so here it goes: Argument 4: Deterrence It turns out that there has been no credible evidence that death penalty deters crimes that would have a punishment of one: ""[T]here is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. And states that have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or murder rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims that each execution deters a certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social science research."- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) A punishment is partly meant to deter people from doing a bad thing. But obviously death penalties are NOT doing the best job at doing that at all. Argument 5: Constitutional Problems The death penalty actually clashes with the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments: "Death is... an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality, and in its enormity... The fatal constitutional infirmity in the punishment of death is that it treats 'members of the human race as nonhumans, as objects to be toyed with and discarded. [It is] thus inconsistent with the fundamental premise of the Clause that even the vilest criminal remains a human being possessed of common human dignity.' [quoting himself from Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 257 (1972)] As such it is a penalty that 'subjects the individual to a fate forbidden by the principle of civilized treatment guaranteed by the [Clause].' [quoting C.J. Warren from Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 86, 101 (1958)] I therefore would hold, on that ground alone, that death is today a cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Clause... I would set aside the death sentences imposed... as violative of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments." Here is what the death penalty violates: Fourteenth Amendment (only the important part for this debate): "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Did you hear that? "nor shall any State deprive any person of life." Ahem, death penalty, you are breaking a rule of the fourteenth amendment. Eighth Amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." The death penalty DEFINITELY falls under a "cruel" punishment. Argument 6: Physicians This point is a bit weird, but oh well: Physicians have a policy to "protect lives." So when a physician shows up at a death penalty and kills someone, in completely violates the rules. "The American Medical Association's policy is clear and unambiguous... requiring physicians to participate in executions violates their oath to protect lives and erodes public confidence in the medical profession. A physician is a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life... The use of a physician's clinical skill and judgment for purposes other than promoting an individual's health and welfare undermines a basic ethical foundation of medicine " first, do no harm. The guidelines in the AMA Code of Medical Ethics address physician participation in executions involving lethal injection. The ethical opinion explicitly prohibits selecting injection sites for executions by lethal injection, starting intravenous lines, prescribing, administering, or supervising the use of lethal drugs, monitoring vital signs, on site or remotely, and declaring death."- American Medical Association So, physicians are violating oaths and are killing, just because of the death penalty. Thank you, The DDD References: http://deathpenalty.procon.org... http://en.wikipedia.org...