{"id":26859,"date":"2013-02-11T19:56:36","date_gmt":"2013-02-12T00:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=26859"},"modified":"2013-02-11T18:51:14","modified_gmt":"2013-02-11T23:51:14","slug":"capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/","title":{"rendered":"Capital punishment and the pro-life position: are they inconsistent?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\u201cMe and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n-Forrest Gump<\/p>\n

\"Capital_Punishment\"There are some things in life that go together like peas and carrots. It seems that you can\u2019t have one without the other.<\/p>\n

It would certainly be a stretch to say that support for capital punishment and opposition to abortion go together like peas and carrots. Nevertheless, it seems that a good many pro-lifers also support the death penalty.<\/p>\n

Some pro-choice advocates have perceived an inconsistency on the part of pro-lifers. They argue that to oppose killing in one instance (abortion) and to support it in another (capital punishment) is hypocritical.<\/p>\n

A full-fledged defense of capital punishment is beyond the scope of this article. But I will seek to demonstrate that there is no inconsistency in opposing abortion while supporting capital punishment. Allow me to make several observations:<\/p>\n

1. Even if capital punishment is wrong, it doesn\u2019t prove that abortion is somehow okay.<\/b><\/p>\n

When some pro-abortion advocates point out to a pro-lifer his \u201chypocrisy\u201d in supporting capital punishment, they frequently act as though no further debate is necessary. \u201cYou support killing,\u201d they say, \u201cso stay out of our wombs!\u201d<\/p>\n

However, let\u2019s grant the pro-choice argument for a moment. Let\u2019s suppose that we, as pro-lifers, are hypocritical for supporting capital punishment. What does it prove?<\/p>\n

The answer is that it proves absolutely nothing!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s entirely possible that both<\/i> abortion and<\/i> capital punishment are wrong! Our supposed hypocrisy and inconsistency don\u2019t take anything away from the evil of abortion. The capital punishment argument might<\/i> demean the character of pro-lifers, but it doesn\u2019t disprove<\/i> any of our points.<\/p>\n

2. There is a difference between killing<\/i> and murder<\/i>.<\/b><\/p>\n

Since ancient times, cultures have recognized this critical distinction. For instance, nearly every civilized society in human history has had laws against first-degree murder. At the same time, civilized societies have also sent their young men off to war in order to protect themselves from enemies who would destroy their way of life.<\/p>\n

It is true that one of the Ten Commandments enjoins, \u201cThou shalt not kill,\u201d in Exodus 20:13. But in the very next chapter of Exodus, God demands, \u201cHe that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death\u201d (v.12). God Himself draws a distinction between the punishment of a criminal justice system on the one hand and the cold-blooded taking of another\u2019s life on the other.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Hebrew word translated “kill” in the King James Version in Exodus 20:13 is more frequently translated, “murder.” The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew lexicon (the standard biblical Hebrew dictionary) notes that the word means, “murder, slay,” either with or without premeditation and intent. Given the Hebrew term’s wide range of usage and the context of Exodus, it is not likely that the deity is forbidding capital punishment in the Ten Commandments.<\/p>\n

Abortion is not merely killing, but murder. It has nothing to do with criminal justice, nor does it relate to a country\u2019s need to defend itself from invaders. Killing someone merely because he\/she presents an inconvenience to one\u2019s lifestyle can be nothing other than murder.<\/p>\n

3. Fetuses are not afforded due process of law.<\/b><\/p>\n

There can be no question that our criminal justice system is imperfect. Criminals sometimes go free; innocent men and women sometimes go to prison.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in the U.S., suspected criminals are afforded due process of law. They are able to acquire the services of a defense attorney. They are permitted to present evidence of their innocence before an impartial jury. All members of the jury must agree to convict before a suspect can be punished. Our country operates on the principle that it is better for ten guilty men to go free than it is for one innocent man to be wrongly convicted.<\/p>\n

A comparison between abortion and capital punishment is ultimately a comparison between apples and oranges. Capital punishment involves the execution of men and women who\u2019ve been found guilty by an impartial jury of first-degree murder; abortion involves the senseless slaughter of innocent unborn children who have committed no crimes.<\/p>\n

Our nation rightly takes extreme measures to safeguard the rights of suspected criminals. But while suspected criminals are afforded due process, innocent babies are permitted to die. This is anything but a fair comparison.<\/p>\n

4. The real hypocrisy is on the part of pro-abortion advocates who oppose the death penalty.<\/b><\/p>\n

The problem is not with a pro-lifer who supports capital punishment; it\u2019s with a pro-choice person who opposes it. Essentially, a pro-abortion advocate is arguing, \u201cI believe it\u2019s inhumane to kill convicted murderers, but it\u2019s humane to kill innocent babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly, good people may differ over whether capital punishment is the right approach for retribution. But it\u2019s hypocrisy in the highest degree that we live in a nation that frequently treats its criminals better than its babies. There\u2019s nothing noble in standing up for the rights of murderers while denying the rights of the unborn.<\/p>\n

Final Note and Clarification<\/b><\/p>\n

You may disagree with the death penalty. However, there\u2019s nothing inconsistent about supporting capital punishment while opposing abortion.<\/p>\n

Let me hasten to say that, as pro-life advocates, whatever we believe about capital punishment, it is the responsibility of the government to enact such a penalty, not that of private citizens. Yes, it is true that abortion is murder. However, the justness of capital punishment doesn\u2019t justify violence against abortionists and their clinics.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not vigilantes. We cannot act as self-appointed judges and juries against abortion doctors. We cannot return evil for evil. We must instead respond to evil with good and thereby provide a far greater rebuke to abortion than violence could ever accomplish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hypocrisy?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":343,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCapital punishment and the pro-life position: are they inconsistent? - Live Action News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Capital punishment and the pro-life position: are they inconsistent? - Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hypocrisy?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/claxtonator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-02-12T00:56:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-02-11T23:51:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/march_group_photo_og-1-700x467.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"467\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nicholas Claxton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nicholas Claxton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nicholas Claxton\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f9095c523ddffa66af57b9e8f05ad716\"},\"headline\":\"Capital punishment and the pro-life position: are they inconsistent?\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-02-12T00:56:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-02-11T23:51:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\"},\"wordCount\":961,\"commentCount\":10,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/capital-punishment-and-the-pro-life-position-are-they-inconsistent\/\",\"name\":\"Capital punishment and the pro-life position: are they inconsistent? 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