More important to Cushing, it altered the discussion. Suddenly it was no longer a given that the state could simply go on killing, that it was just a matter of who would be executed and how often the death penalty would be carried out. I had never quite thought of myself as lucky, you know, seeing the bright side of my father being murdered. In fact, Cushing thinks the death penalty debate often turns less on philosophical divergences than purely political considerations. They feel it's an issue they can ride to power on.
Some individuals wrestle with it.
It's awfully difficult to cast a vote of conscience in opposition to the wishes of the majority of your constituents. The same issues were played out in Massachusetts this past March, when Gov. Paul Cellucci, for the second time in two years, tried and failed to reinstate the death penalty. The state House of Representatives defeated the reinstatement bill in a final 80-73 vote following massive intervention by an alliance of death penalty opponents, including MVFR, Amnesty International USA and the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. This time, Cushing could not steer the debate directly as a member of the legislature. Having relatives of murder victims, with all their anguish, testify against the death penalty played a significant role in preventing reinstatement in Massachusetts.