Editorial

As I have noted before, Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853. We live in the state with the longest unbroken tradition of no capital punishment.

Unfortunately, some state legislators are attempting to change that tradition. On March 7, the state Senate on a vote of 20-13 approved Senate Joint Resolution 5 (SJR 5). This calls for an advisory referendum on reinstating the death penalty in Wisconsin. If passed by the Assembly, the referendum would be on the ballot in September of 2006.

Proposed referendum. The proposed referendum says: "Should the death penalty be enacted in the State of Wisconsin for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the homicide is vicious and the conviction is supported by DNA evidence?"

The Assembly and Senate are expected to reconvene for a final floor session from April 25 to May 4. The Assembly may schedule a committee hearing on this resolution in the next few weeks and then may consider full Assembly action in the final days of the session.

The Wisconsin Catholic Conference has issued an action alert urging concerned citizens to contact their state Assembly representative. (Who is your legislator? Find out by going to http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/)

In recent years, many Catholics have reconsidered their position on the death penalty - thanks in good part to church efforts to educate Catholics about this issue.

In past polls, Catholic support for the death penalty has mirrored the American public at close to 70 percent. But recent surveys have revealed that less than half of Catholics (about 48 percent) expressed support for the death penalty.

Church opposition. Since 1974, the bishops and the U.S. Catholic Conference have issued statements and documents expressing opposition to capital punishment. The bishops urged abolition of the practice saying, "We believe that in the conditions of contemporary American society, the legitimate purposes of punishment do not justify the imposition of the death penalty." In 2005 the 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."

The Catholic bishops promoted opposition to capital punishment last year with a "Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty." This campaign asked people to pray for victims of crime and their families and to reach out to support them. It also called for educating people about church teaching on the death penalty and criminal justice; working for legislation to end capital punishment; and changing the debate in favor of defending life.

Opposition to the death penalty is a cause that unites social justice and pro-life convictions. "We are called to respect human life in all ages, and in all circumstances," said Gail Quinn of the bishops' pro-life office. "I hope that Catholics will increasingly speak to their belief that the use of the death penalty in this nation must cease."

Why oppose death penalty. The bishops give four main reasons to oppose the death penalty:

• There are other ways to punish criminals and protect society.

• The application of capital punishment is deeply flawed and can be irreversibly wrong. It is prone to errors and often biased.

• State-sanctioned killing diminishes all people.

• The penalty of execution undermines respect for human life and dignity.

The proposed state referendum is aimed at the most horrendous crimes. But passing this referendum would be a "foot in the door" to expand the use of the death penalty in the future for other crimes. As the Wisconsin Catholic Conference points out, our state's rejection of the death penalty has not compromised public safety. Wisconsin's homicide rate is far lower than many states that have the death penalty.

Please contact your Assembly representatives and tell them NOT to approve this referendum. We do not want or need capital punishment in the state of Wisconsin.

Mary C. Uhler