Life without parole is enough

On one hand, if the man is guilty of the brutal murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Connor, then he deserves to be locked up and punished. But the death penalty? The jury’s decision was a disappointment, even more so when people in the courtroom actually cheered at the news. Scott Peterson should not be put to death. It’s not necessary for justice or for the protection of the common good. And the Catholic Church will back that up.

True, the church has had a long tradition of supporting a government’s right to kill those who have committed "grave" crimes. But things have changed.

In recent decades, church leaders have taken an increasingly firm stand against this form of punishment. In 1999, Pope John Paul II told an audience in Missouri that " ... the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. ... I renew the appeal ... for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."

U.S. bishops began to speak out as early as 1974 expressing concern about the "unfair and discriminatory" way state killing was practiced," writes "Dead Man Walking" author Sister Helen Prejean in a new book, "The Death of Innocents."

In 1997, the Vatican revised the "Catechism of the Catholic Church," reflecting a teaching that aligns itself with arguments made in the pope’s 1995 encyclical, "Evangelium Vitae."

The revised catechism says, in part, "... the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor....

"Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm ... the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically nonexistent" (CCC No. 2267).

The tide has turned in the church’s views on capital punishment. Fortunately, public opinion seems to be going in the same direction. The number of people executed in 2004 — 59 — is lower than in previous years, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Support for capital punishment seems to be dropping, too, according to a number of national polls. Given a chance, more people would prefer life without parole. And on Dec. 17, the Kansas Supreme Court struck down that state’s death penalty law, making 14 states free of capital punishment.

There are lots of reasons for this shift. Innocent people have died on death row — it’s an imperfect system, although DNA testing is now available to prove or disprove guilt. Another reason is that studies show the death penalty is not a deterrent. Yet another is the moral and ethical question of justice: Does God demand a death for a death? Or is God compassionate, as Sister Helen asks, "luring souls into love so great that no one can be considered ‘enemy’?"

The death penalty is a highly emotional issue. It will probably, and understandably, take time for the idea of nonviolent retribution to take hold in people’s hearts — especially those who can’t stomach the idea of letting a brutal murderer off without the ultimate punishment.

But it’s a necessary change. This world, with its tendency to glorify and abuse violence, will be better off if we can find the compassion and openness in our hearts to rise above the need to kill the killers. All human beings, not just innocent ones, have the right to life and dignity. Even Scott Peterson. He deserves life in prison without parole. But not death.