Is the Death Penalty Ever Moral? | 5 Minute Video
2,038,706
Published 2017-08-07
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Script:
There are almost no issues where I don’t understand both sides: taxation, the size of government, abortion, socialism, capitalism. As strongly as I feel about any issue, I understand the opposition.
But there is an exception: the death penalty for murder. Here, the gulf is unbridgeable between those of us who believe that some murderers – and I emphasize some murderers – should be put to death and those who believe that no murderer should ever be put to death.
Take this example:
On the afternoon of July 23, 2007, in the town of Cheshire, Connecticut, two men broke into the home of Dr. William Petit, his wife Jennifer and his two daughters. The men beat Dr. Petit nearly to death with a baseball bat; one of the men raped the doctor’s wife; and the other man sexually assaulted their 11 year-old daughter, Michaela. The two men then strangled Mrs. Petit to death, tied down the two daughters on beds, doused them with gasoline, and, while the girls were still alive, set the house on fire. Dr. Petit survived, but his wife and daughters did not.
Those opposed to capital punishment believe that these two men have a right to keep their lives. So, is there anything a person can do to deserve the death penalty? To those opposed to capital punishment, the answer is no. In fact, many opponents of capital punishment believe that killing murderers is the same as murder. You heard me right – most opponents equate the murder of an innocent family with putting the murderers of that family to death.
Opponents of capital punishment also argue that keeping all murderers alive sanctifies the value of human life. But the opposite is true. Keeping every murderer alive cheapens human life because it belittles murder. That’s easily proven. Imagine that the punishment for murder were the same as the punishment for driving over the speed limit. Wouldn’t that belittle murder and thereby cheapen human life? Of course, it would. Society teaches how bad an action is by the punishment it metes out.
And what about the pain inflicted on the loved ones of those murdered? For most people, their suffering is immeasurably increased knowing that the person who murdered their family member or friend – and who, in many cases, inflicted unimaginable terror on that person – is alive and being cared for.
Of course, putting the murderer to death doesn’t bring back their loved one, but it sure does provide some sense of justice. That’s why Dr. Petit, a physician whose life is devoted to saving lives, wants the murderers of his wife and daughters put to death. In his words, death "is really the only true just punishment for certain heinous and depraved murders." Is the doctor wrong? Is he immoral? Well, if you think capital punishment is immoral, then Dr. Petit is immoral.
And what about opponents’ argument that an innocent person may be executed? This argument may be sincerely held, but it’s not honest. Why? Because opponents of capital punishment oppose the death penalty even when there is absolute proof of the murderer’s guilt. If there were a video of a man burning a family alive, opponents of capital punishment would still oppose taking that man’s life.
For the complete script, visit www.prageru.com/videos/death-penalty-ever-moral
All Comments (21)
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I think some people see it as 'let them rot in jail' so that they have to live out their life in misery, if you just kill them then all their problems and suffering are over.
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"It is virtually impossible to execute an innocent person" that is just a big fat lie
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The question shouldn't be: "Do some people deserve to die?", it should be: "Should a government of humans with a subjective understanding of justice be able to decide whether a person deserves to die?"
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"It is virtually impossible to execute an innocent person" The word "virtually" is doing a lot of leg work lmao
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I was all for the death penalty until someone asked the question "do you trust your government never to make a mistake?"
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L vs KIRA in the comment section
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If even one person is wrongfully put to death that's an indictment of the entire system.
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As much as I love prageru, I have to point out that the Dennis didn’t use any data, numbers, or studies to support any of his points.
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"Virtually impossible" but it has happened where an innocent life has been put on death row.
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Dennis Prager claims that "It is virtually impossible to execute an innocent person." He seems to hold the assumption that error and bias are extremely rare in investigations or trials. Mr. Prager must surely have a lot of faith in the competence and morality of big government.
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There’s two aspects to the whole debate, is it morally right or wrong? And then do you trust the government with that power?
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Also if someone getting a life sentence doesnt give a morning family a sense of justice then i dont think anything will.
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As someone who spent 5 years in prison. I would have much preferred the death penalty over life in prison. Prison is a slow death sentence. Prison does not remove the criminals life force, but it does restrict the ability to live. Life behind bars is NOT the same as being alive. Your health, mental stability, hormones, physical fitness, all immediately begin to atrophy. The worst thing a man could be put through is life behind bars. Sex offenders are unbelievably, endlessly and unmercifully abused. 24 hours a day. If you want justice, use the death penalty. If you want punishment, keep them alive.
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What do we need. Real life battle Royale
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"All life is sacred." Ok with death penalty.
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I'm here because I have an essay about keeping it due in 2 days and I haven't started💀
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That crime story at the beginning was so horrible. How can anything so gruesomely terrible happen? :'(
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I don't agree the idea that "is virtually impossible" to apply the death penalty to an innocent.
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One thing I’ve noticed is that people who are against the death penalty actually put forward facts to support their claims, such as “statistically innocent people will end up being killed if we have the death penalty” and “It’s very expensive” and “if we allow it, we are giving the government too much power” and “it’s irreversible” People who are pro death penalty never actually give facts, they just do the typical cliche emotional appeal “argument” it’s always the same old “what if this was your loved one” and “people who are victims won’t get justice or closure” and “they deserve to die” People who support the death penalty never give good reasons for their position, all they do is emotionally manipulate and spew logical fallacies all over the place, it’s not very impressive in my opinion
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Never protect criminals from justice
