Editorial

October is observed as Respect Life Month. The Catholic Church teaches us to respect all human life, but perhaps the most difficult life to respect is that of criminals - especially persons accused of committing murder.

	Related items: October 19, 2006 edition: • Bishop's column -- Death penalty referendum: Vote on sanctity of life (en Español) • Referendum question wording (en Español)

We lament the recent shootings of school children in Pennsylvania and the school principal in Wisconsin. Perhaps our first instinct is to cry out for revenge against those who snuffed out these precious lives.

All life is precious. But we have to remember that all life is precious - even that of the most heinous criminal. Bishop Robert C. Morlino reminded us of this belief during his homily at the Diocesan Stewardship Day on October 11. We have to stand up for the value of human life, he said, even if the person did bad things. When we kill the heinous criminal, we simply add to the spiral of terror and violence, the bishop said.

Of course, we can keep people safe from criminals by life imprisonment. But in the name of protecting society, we do not have to kill another human being.

Advisory referendum. The bishop's remarks were timely. On November 7, citizens in Wisconsin will be voting on an advisory referendum to reinstate the death penalty in our state. Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853. We live in the state with the longest unbroken tradition of no capital punishment.

The referendum calls for the death penalty to be enacted in the State of Wisconsin for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the conviction is supported by DNA evidence.

Vote against restoring death penalty. There are many reasons why we should vote against restoring the death penalty. The number one reason is our belief in the sanctity of all human life.

We know, too, that our criminal justice system is far from perfect. There are opportunities for mistakes all along the way - from the investigation of a crime to the trial to the sentencing by judges and juries. There are too many possibilities of error, as we have seen in the cases of people wrongly sentenced to death and later found innocent. DNA evidence is not foolproof either. It can be planted, and even if it's found, it does not mean a person is guilty of a crime.

In 2005 the U.S. Catholic bishops said it "is time to turn away from a deeply flawed system of state-sponsored killing toward a way of protecting society and punishing the truly guilty that reflects society's best values."

We can punish criminals and protect society without resorting to the death penalty. Passing this referendum would be a "foot in the door" to expand the use of the death penalty for other crimes. Vote "no" on November 7 to restoring the death penalty in our state.

Mary C. Uhler

Mailbag

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Marriage amendment needed

To the editor:

I commend the article on the marriage amendment that you printed October 5. It refutes those TV ads attacking the amendment. Those ads dramatize a same-sex couple being cut off from each other by a medical emergency. The truth is that people can fill out a "Power of Attorney for Health Care" authorizing anyone they want (except their doctors) to be their health care agents. The proposed amendment has nothing to do with Power of Attorney.

This amendment process began in 2003. The Supreme Court of Massachusetts shocked the nation by demanding that Massachusetts recognize same-sex marriage. Immediately Wisconsin and other states, fearing it could happen to them, began the process of amending their constitutions to prevent it. Nineteen states have completed the process. Wisconsin and six other states are nearing the end, with Wisconsinites voting on the amendment November 7.

In 2004 polygamists in Utah filed suit to allow multiple marriages. This could also happen in Wisconsin. But the proposed amendment says that a marriage is only valid between one man and one woman. It prevents the courts from demanding polygamous marriage. It's like getting two amendments for the price of one.

Mark Midbon, Madison

Politics influences life issues

To the editor:

The problem that many progressive Catholics have with the Church and abortion has nothing to do with the rejection of the fundamental teaching concerning the value of life. The problem is that, politically, being anti-abortion, rather than pro-life, seems to represent a "free-pass" for conservative politicians on all other issues that affect life. How otherwise can one make sense of the astonishing silence of our religious leaders regarding the war in Iraq or the continued insistence of the administration on its right to interpret away the rights accorded to prisoners by the Geneva conventions?

The problem that many of our church leaders have with abortion is that right-wing politics, rather than the Gospel of Jesus, seems to be the driving force. When we truly commit ourselves to the "seamless garment" approach advocated by the late Cardinal Bernadin, political progressives will discover that we too can find a home in the Church.

Wayne Sigelko, Madison

Welcomed article on soldiers

To the editor:

The article "Paintbrushes in hand" by Archbishop Edwin O'Brien is a welcome article about our soldiers. There is so much negative and so little positive things said about our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. His words are so needed.

Carol Otte, Waterloo