Human life is a precious thing. No matter what crime a person commits, they are still a person, and their life is still a rare and precious thing. In society, it is completely unacceptable to take someone’s life, so why is it acceptable for the government to end someone’s life? The life of another human should be determined by no one other than God. Even if you do not practice religion, I still feel that many would agree that it is not acceptable for a human to end another human’s life. Consider what that person could become. Just because they made one mistake in their life, doesn’t mean that they deserve to die. Consider this quote concerning the drop in capital punishment during 2011, “The death penalty in 2011 is starting to reflect the unease that many people feel,”(NPR). This clearly shows a popular idea, that the drop in the death penalty is directly linked to the emotions and uneasiness that people feel towards the idea.
Even if you do believe that it is right and just to take another person’s life because of the crime they committed, it’s hard to argue with irrevocable rules and ideas. Consider the Bill of Rights, one of the most fundamental documents stating the rules and abilities of the United States and it’s people. The eight amendment to the bill reads, “...nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted,” (US Government Online Archives). The bill specifies that the government should not impose and cruel or unusual punishments, yet killing someone seems to be perfectly fine. There is no way that killing someone is not cruel and unusual, so how can the death penalty exist in our country in the first place?
