Fifty-six year old Scott Panetti is on death row after killing his wife's parents in front of her and their child. However, Mr. Panetti's attorneys protest his fate because of his long standing mental illness. In 1978 Panetti was diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been hospitalized 13 times since then. His delusions include his whole town plotting against him and the devil chasing him. Since Mr. Panetti is ill, his attorneys argue that death row is a cruel and unusual punishment in Panetti's case and, thus, unconstitutional. This case has gained attention across the nation from politicians and protesters of capital punishment alike. Scott Panetti will face his fate on Wednesday if his legal team does not gain more time.
Capital punishment is the government literally getting away with murder like they are in the case of Michael Brown. Especially in the case of this ill man, capital punishment takes away our basic American right of life. Americans have fought so hard for their rights in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and countless other wars, yet they allow laws to stay intact that legalize murder of their fellow citizens. Surely there is more treatment available to Mr. Panetti.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/us/justices-urged-to-intervene-in-execution-of-texas-man.html?ref=us
I thought that we were done with the death penalty. This action is so medieval that I assumed it would not be around anymore. It shouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of a death penalty instance in a while now, so this came as a shock to me! I believe that our government, while it has an obligation to protect us against all criminals, should not reserve the right to take away their lives. In the past, we have heard of hangings, such as Patrick Henry's, that now prove to us that he was right in his teachings and shouldn't have been punished. I'm not saying that EVERY criminal is right or has repented for his or her wrongdoings, but some we may look back on and see that it was wrong to give such a person an inhumane death. Elizabeth Muscarip6
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