A Missouri House bill to abolish the death penalty finally received a committee hearing, and Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski attended on behalf of the Missouri bishops to offer testimony in support. House Bill 2153, sponsored by Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican representing a portion of south St. Louis County, would eliminate the death penalty as a sentencing option in the state. The hearing for the bill took place on March 9 in the Missouri House’s Corrections and Public Institutions Committee. This was the first time in ten years that a death penalty repeal bill has been heard in committee, despite legislation being filed virtually every year.
“The revised Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “It is no longer necessary to protect society because we have other means of incarcerating those who commit horrible crimes.”
The Archbishop went on to say the death penalty has always carried the risk of executing wrongfully-convicted individuals. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, since 1973, more than 200 people sentenced to death have later been exonerated.
“Missouri now has the opportunity to move toward a more just and humane criminal justice system — one that protects society while respecting the value of every human life,” the Archbishop said. “Replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole ensures accountability while avoiding the moral and practical harms of capital punishment.”
In a press conference held after the hearing, Archbishop Rozanski and Rep. Murphy were joined by Rep. Steve Butz (D-St. Louis), Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold), and former state representative Tony Lovasco, who all voiced their support for HB 2153.
Further details can be found here at the St. Louis Review website.