While typing death penalty into the search box of Google, I noticed an interesting suggestion. It read, "death penalty abortion." I have never even thought about associating those two issues. After thinking about them, they do both have the commonality of killing a human being. In abortion, it is argued that that being is innocent, and most of the times there is no doubt about guilt while someone is being put up for the death penalty, but sometimes there is a question of innocence. This article that I came across (found at the hyperlink below), introduced me to the idea of hypocrisy between these two issues. Some people are against the the killing of unborn babies, while they are completely for the death penalty. While proving beyond a reasonable doubt proves guiltiness in a court room, there is still a small chance that a person is truly innocent. So how is it not okay to kill an unborn innocent baby, and kill an adult who may be innocent? How can people have two different views of killing people based on the fact of perceived innocence?
In my opinion, a baby does not know what is happening to them while in the womb, and they do set limits on how mature a fetus can be developed in order to have an abortion. I am not saying it is right to kill unborn babies, but to kill a person who knows their situation and has been living enough years to become an adult is not right either. If you have two different views on each issue, you may want to rethink the hypocrisy intertwined between abortion and the death penalty.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/letters/2011-01-31/death-penalty-abortion-expose-hypocrisy
I like that you are examining the difference in many people’s opinions on two different yet similar subjects. Most republicans would support the death penalty and be prolife. Democrats on the other hand would be against the death penalty and for abortion. No one ever talks about this and it is kind of interesting how the policy makers take different sides on relatively the same issue. Before you brought this up I had never really thought this way about these subjects.
ReplyDeleteThe two issues actually do have something in common and it is interesting to examine both issues at the same time. I actually happen to be for both abortion and the death penalty, because i believe in pro choice and believe that the American justice system evaluates each case before giving someone the death sentence. It is interesting to see how both of these two issues have so much in common and to see how people can be for one thing and not the other. A fetus has a pulse, as an adult has one and they are both living things. How CAN someone be for one and not the other?
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ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting link between the two, before reading this I never realized how much in common they have with one another. Over the years my opinions of both these two controversial topics has changed drastically. What i find interesting is that this link has never been discussed before. I believe both issues depend on the situation and the individuals involved in the situation. On the other hand, politicians and lawmakers cannot make laws and choices for our entire country based off of each individual situation. Can you kill an innocent/guilty man who knows right from wrong or kill an unborn fetus that doesn't know right from wrong? Who makes the decision?
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of the two together. Typically, I have always agreed with the death penalty but never actually developed a view about abortion. I think it's harder as a woman to take a position on this issue. I believe that everyone has a right to decide for themselves, which would make me pro-choice. However, being a woman, what if I was in that situation. Would I be able to actually do that? Its a complicated question and it does make you realized that some people may be hypocritical.
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