# Are there many pro-life people who are also anti-death penalty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 28, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621 "2011-07-28T14:58:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/1 "2011-07-28T14:58:20Z")
It seems to be a standard configuration, at least amongst Americans, to be pro-life but also pro-death penalty. I understand the intellectual distinction but it strikes me that if you’re wanting to preserve the sanctity of life (or whatever) then you should also include the scumbags, murderers, rapists, traitors etc. What are the mainstream Christian churches’ viewpoint on execution? ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/2 "2011-07-28T15:40:39Z")
The Catholic Church is against both abortion and the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/3 "2011-07-28T15:57:58Z")
Of course. Almost all Catholics fit your criteria. Although I reject your premise right out of the gate - Why do I have to value the sanctity of life for _everything_ if I value it for some things? Where’s the contradiction in valuing innocent life but not guilty life? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/4 "2011-07-28T16:14:58Z")
[http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row](http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row) here is a list of 140 people who were on death row and innocent. Lots more have been executed. There is no certainty in trials. The system is flawed like any other human endeavor. Some people feel badly when an innocent gets executed. Some can shrug it off. Some others think killing is wrong. That includes the state. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/5 "2011-07-28T16:15:11Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Of course. Almost all Catholics fit your criteria. Although I reject your premise right out of the gate - Why do I have to value the sanctity of life for _everything_ if I value it for some things? Where’s the contradiction in valuing innocent life but not guilty life? Guilty life is life. Innocent or guilty doesn’t factor into whether life is life. In fact, a guilty person on death row tautologically has more of the attribute called “life” than a fetus. A fetus only has potential life. Someone who holds this contradictory position (anti-choice and pro-death penalty) clearly does NOT value the “sanctity of life at all costs.” Someone who holds this contradictory position has a clear agenda. They value the sanctity of unborn fetuses and telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/6 "2011-07-28T16:18:59Z")
I am anti-death penalty and pro-life. So that’s one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/7 "2011-07-28T16:32:06Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Guilty life is life. Innocent or guilty doesn’t factor into whether life is life. In fact, a guilty person on death row tautologically has more of the attribute called “life” than a fetus. A fetus only has potential life. > > Someone who holds this contradictory position (anti-choice and pro-death penalty) clearly does NOT value the “sanctity of life at all costs.” Someone who holds this contradictory position has a clear agenda. They value the sanctity of unborn fetuses and telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. I think you should start over. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/8 "2011-07-28T16:38:58Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > I think you should start over. I was answering Chessic’s question, which questioned the initial assumption. My second paragraph is more of an organic hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Scot\_Dutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Scot\_Dutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scot_Dutch)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/9 "2011-07-28T16:50:45Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am anti-death penalty and pro-life. > > So that’s one. 🙂 Make it two! The judicial system isn’t perfect. Until it is, there is no logical argument to support capital punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/10 "2011-07-28T17:05:34Z")
A question, **An Gadaí** : is the Catholic church in Ireland anti-abortion and anti-death penalty? Or is the death penalty just not a political issue, such that there is no need to mention that you’re opposed to it? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/11 "2011-07-28T17:12:03Z")
Are there many pro-choice people who are also anti-murder? Hey, either you have the choice of killing or not … ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/12 "2011-07-28T20:14:31Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Are there many pro-choice people who are also anti-murder? > > Hey, either you have the choice of killing or not … I am pro-choice and against the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/13 "2011-07-28T20:16:10Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Of course. Almost all Catholics fit your criteria. Although I reject your premise right out of the gate - Why do I have to value the sanctity of life for _everything_ if I value it for some things? Where’s the contradiction in valuing innocent life but not guilty life? Look up “sanctity” and “life”. As long as you stop using those words together to explain your opposition to abortion, then there’s no inherent contradiction in being both anti-abortion and pro-death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/14 "2011-07-28T20:17:55Z")
Pro-lifers are opposed to the death penalty. Unfortunately, they also tend to be shouted down by the much louder anti-abortionists. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/15 "2011-07-28T20:19:11Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am anti-death penalty and pro-life. > > So that’s one. 🙂 Are you against the death penalty in the abstract, or only as it exists today? ---
**Author:** ![pikey\_pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pikey\_pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pikey_pete)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/16 "2011-07-28T20:55:40Z")
this is easy to explain. Where would Christianity be without capital punishment? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/17 "2011-07-29T01:33:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Pro-lifers are opposed to the death penalty. Unfortunately, they also tend to be shouted down by the much louder anti-abortionists. We are pro-innocent life. We don’t think necessarilly people like Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan or Anders Breivik have the right to life considering they forfited it by their murders. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/18 "2011-07-29T02:45:59Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > We are pro-innocent life. We don’t think necessarilly people like Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan or Anders Breivik have the right to life considering they forfited it by their murders. How can a religious person be comfortable sitting in judgment of Manson et.al.? Isn’t that god’s job? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/19 "2011-07-29T02:50:53Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > How can a religious person be comfortable sitting in judgment of Manson et.al.? Isn’t that god’s job? We do not judge his afterlife (although its pretty obvious if he does not repent) but we judge him whether he committed the crime or not and punish him temporally. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621/20 "2011-07-29T02:54:12Z")
I don’t know, his parole hearings are pretty entertaining. (At this point, they’re pretty much a joke – there’s no way he’ll ever see the light of day. It’s mostly just formality.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-many-pro-life-people-who-are-also-anti-death-penalty/590621.md?page=2)