 May/Summer 2000 (XXXVIII 3) |
was glad to read the letter from John A. Yeatman regarding capital punishment. I fall somewhere between Mr. Yeatman's conviction and the PYM minute regarding the topic. There have been some heinous acts of murder that beg justice to be meted out, and there have been some people wrongfully convicted of acts that have been deemed "punishable by death." But one can go down this path over and over again with no resolution. I want to share my experience in my Monthly Meeting regarding this debate.
I came to meeting for worship with a conflicted heart over a trial of three white men accused of dragging a black man to death in Texas. The nature of this crime was so beastly and brutal I was physically nauseated. I brought this concern in worship seeking to share the conflict only to have a very righteous Friend reply that I was "misguided" and had I attended sessions concerning this issue my convictions would be the same as other Friends and I would oppose the death penalty.
Well, I've not returned to meeting nor have my convictions changed. I still feel the death penalty is a form of punishment that should not be used often. It should be used only in a brutal and premeditated murder and only when there is overwhelming evidence and incontrovertible proof against the person. Yes, Mr. Yeatman is right when he says "an individual who (deliberately) sets out to take the life of another person ... should be prepared to give up his own life." It is a choice made by the murderer and the punishment only carried out by society. People don't have to murder other people. The man in Texas had no choice when he was dragged to his death; the men who did it had a choice.
Patricia Winecker
Quakertown Meeting (NJ)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM