If you oppose abortion do you necessarily have to be a pasifist and oppose capital punishment

That is a pretty common question here, but I think u may be oversimplifying both issues.

There is no inherent contradiction in being pro-life & pro-capital punishment, OR vice-versa. The abortion issue generally comes down to where u believe that life begins. Pro-lifers think life begins at conception (and therefore, logically, abortion is murder), whereas pro-choicers believe life begins at birth. Both sides will dazzle u with scientific studies & convincing evidence to support their case, but there simply is no way to “prove” either side - it boils down to what u BELIEVE.

The death penalty is a completely unrelated issue. I supported capital punishment for a long time, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to oppose it. In the end, several factors changed my mind:

1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. In the last 30 years in the U.S., over 100 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. These r ALL people who were found guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. So, as long as the death penalty is in place, u r pretty much GUARANTEED to occasionally execute an innocent person.

[To those who say that the death penalty kills only those who “deserve it” – please read the above paragraph again.]

Really, that should be reason enough for most people to oppose it. If u need more, read on:

2. Because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with prosecuting & defending a DP case, & the appeals process (which is necessary - see reason #1), it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute prisoners than to imprison them for life.

3. The deterrent effect is questionable at best. Violent crime rates r actually HIGHER in death penalty jurisdictions. This may seem counterintuitive, & there r many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida – the most active execution state at the time – to carry out his final murder spree). It is probably due, at least in part, to the high cost (see #2), which drains resources from police departments, drug treatment programs, education, & other government services that help prevent crime. Personally, I think it also has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing people. The government fosters a culture of violence by saying, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

4. There’s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst criminals. Let them wake up & go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, & think about the freedom they DON’T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, “I wish u had killed me.” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (the architect of the 9/11 attacks) would love nothing better than to be put to death. In his words, ''I have been looking to be a martyr [for a] long time.''

5. Most governments r supposed to be secular, but for those who invoke Christian law in this debate, u can find arguments both for AND against the death penalty in the Bible. The New Testament (starring Jesus) is primarily ANTI-death penalty. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus praises mercy (Matthew 5:7) & rejects “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38-39). James 4:12 says that GOD is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, ''let he who is without sin cast the first stone.''

I think abortion is the murder of an innocent human being who could honestly be destined for greatness and never have the chance to prove it.
A person sitting on death row for murder or rape or anything else is not innocent. In that case i feel more an eye for an eye.

Not necessarily. But many people, including those who oppose abortion, have looked at the death penalty system in action & realize that the only purpose it serves is retribution or revenge, it is seriously (and intrinsically) flawed in application & that there is a serious & continuing risk of executing innocent people. And, it costs much more than life in prison. These things r cited by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Sources below.

130 people wrongfully convicted people were sentenced to death & were fortunate to be released, eventually. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people. If someone is convicted & later found innocent u can release him from prison, but not from the grave.

The death penalty does not prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates r higher in states & regions that have it than in those that don’t.

Life without parole, on the books in 48 states, also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, & spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is not a picnic. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people. (upfront = pre trial & trial level)

Sources:

http://usccb.org/sdwp/national/deathpenalty/ for the Catholic Bishops Campaign to abolish the death penalty

The death penalty is not reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It does not apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

Families of murder victims r not unanimous about the death penalty. However, even families who have supported the death penalty in principal have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them & that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process & we will execute innocent people.

Death Penalty Information Center, deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats & links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI http://fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_04.html

The Innocence Project, innocenceproject.org

http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcosttestimony.pdf page 3 & 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://njadp.org/forms/signon-survivor.html, mvfhr.org and
mvfr.org for statements of victims’ families

Well, there is the little matter of 'guilty' and 'innocent'. Capital punishment is not supposed to be imposed on the innocent.

I do not know of anyone who does not oppose abortion, but one sentenced to death because of his actions has done something he knew was wrong. This is not true for a child in the womb.

People who oppose abortion do not necessarily believe that killing humans is ALWAYS wrong. They tend to believe that any punishment or reward that one receives should be as a result of that persons actions.

People are entitled to believe whatever they like. The majority usually rules when it comes to the law in these cases. When judges decide, the decision is based on how conservative/liberal the judge is.

Personally, I cannot decide for someone else if they should have an abortion or not. I do not think we should have capital punishment unless the crime can be proved beyond ANY doubt, because there are too many innocent people in prison.

no, babies are innocent, criminals (presumably) are not

Why not? You both oppose the needless killing of humans. People on death row are those who wantonly destroy human life.