Although it is not talked about in the news on a daily basis, capital punishment remains an integral part of the United States’ culture. Debate has raged on this issue since the the country’s inception, but it’s time the United States joins the civilized world and finally ban capital punishment. It is not pro-life, it is not sound justice because humans should not play God with others’ mortality, and because the government has a reputation of sentencing to death innocent individuals.

One cannot profess to be pro-life, while also being in-favor of the death penalty, it is hypocrisy. According to the National Right to Life Association, being “pro-life” is to recognize that “Every human being matters, and we ought to act accordingly.” When the government sentences an individual to death, they are not choosing “life,” and as a result cannot profess to be pro-life. Numerous individuals are pro-life when it comes to abortion, yet choose to ignore what it means to be “pro-life” when it comes to capital punishment. Society does not have the right to determine which lives matter, and which do not.

By granting the government the ability to practice capital punishment we are granting them the ability effectively play God. As a Christian, I don’t feel it is my government’s right to decide when a human being dies, that should be left to God. In effect, society is crowning the government God, which is scary for anyone who values a government of limited power. It is obvious that public policy shouldn’t be dictated by religion, but religious principles craft the morality of this nation. If one professes the United States to be a Judeo-Christian nation, than it should appreciate one of the its most sacred values, life.

Finally, stated simply the government is not competent enough to sentence individuals to death, given that they have a reputation for sentencing innocent individuals to death. According to Newsweek, 144 individuals have been put to death (who have been proven innocent) since 1973, and roughly 1 of 25 put to death is innocent. These statistics should make any capital punishment proponent sick to their stomach. Those who advocate for the death penalty tend to argue it is the ultimate form of justice, but what about the 144 individuals that were put to death? They certainly did not receive justice. In addition, for those who do not trust government and preach the doctrine of small government, you must recognize that you are placing an awful lot of trust in government by allowing them to make choices pertaining to the life and death of individuals.