Free Death Penalty Debate Essay Sample

Should death penalty be mandatory to people that kill others? This is one question that has been the centre of debate among religious leaders, medical practitioners and the legal fraternity; each of these groups have mounted arguments and tabled evidence about their opinion on the sentence that should be given to persons that kill others. In order to decide as to whether death penalty should be handed down to persons that knowingly or unknowingly kill others, it is important to first understand what these think about the sentence that should be given to persons that kill others.

According to the religious doctrines of most religions from Christians, Muslims to Hindus it is against God's wishes for a person to knowingly or unknowingly take away the life of a fellow human beings. Most of these religious groups believe that a curse will befall any person who kills another and they will spend their eternal lives in hell. For instance, in the case of Christians one of the commandments that God gave to us through Moses states that "Thou shalt not kill", this is a clear indication that God prohibits murder; the same case applies to the teachings of other religions. On the contrary thou, the same Holy book say that if any person takes the life of the other then the same punishment should be given to them This is a quote that some religions especially in the Arab world have incorporated into the laws that govern them and they refer to them as Sheria Laws. In these nations it is normal to hear that a person has been sentenced to death by stoning because of killing another person. 

From the legal point of view, murder or killing another person is an offense under the constitutions of most nations and anyone who commits murder must face punishment under the court of law, however the very same constitutions states a person is innocent until proven guilty; this means that the sentence given to a person does not depend on the crime committed but on the defence mounted during trial. This is how unfair the judicial system can be. For instance it is strange but true that a person who has committed a petty crime like shoplifting can be sentenced to life imprisonment whereas one who has been accused of first degree murder is set free for lack for substantial evidence. One thing needs to be understood is that there are different categories in which persons who commit murder are categorized; there is first degree murder, second degree murder, manslaughter among others and the reasons behind the committing of these crimes vary from voluntary or involuntary. The sentence given is depends on the category and evidence tabled.

It is evident that from the religion and legal point of view that killing another person is a crime and whereas some religious teachings are in support for killing a person who kills another (an eye for an eye) the law says otherwise. How about from the medical point of view? One of the ways in which doctors knowingly terminate the lives of patients is through euthanasia; this is a process where a patient that is terminally ill, in a state of coma or completely paralyzed is removed from life saving machines or injected with life ending drugs that kill him / her in order to end the "suffering" that the person is undergoing. Another way common way is abortion which is legal in some nations and illegal in others. Should the doctors who carry out euthanasia or abortion be killed too?

Life is sacred, life is holly and no person has the right to take the life of another person, it is only God who can terminate one's life. Executing a person who has killed won't solve the problem and therefore the court of law should be allowed to decided the form of punishment such criminals should be given but only God knows what awaits them come judgment day.

 

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