To kill or not to kill? That is a controversial question in today's society. The death penalty is considered by most civilized nations to be a cruel and inhuman punishment. It has been abolished by 106 nations and 30 countries have abolished it since 1990. The United States is one of the most prolific executioners in the world and also one of whom executes people who were under the age of 18 at the time they committed their crimes. It is wrong and should be abolished in the United States as well.
             The death penalty violates the 8th Amendment which became a part of the United States Constitution in 1789 and states, "...nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." The death penalty is both. No punishment can be crueler than death.
             The death penalty should be eliminated by what is stated in the Bible. The 6th commandment specifically says, "Thou shalt not kill." When someone is executed, our court system is deliberately defying our Lord. John 8:7 says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." This means only a man who is not a sinner has the right to eliminate someone from this Earth. The only person who is without sin is God. Therefore, no human is entitled to that privilege.
             In recent years, a large proportion of people sentenced to death are innocent. Anthony Porter is one of 13 men released from Illinois' death row in the modern era for actual innocence. He was probably the luckiest. Porter was released in February 1999 on the motion of the State Attorney after another man confessed on videotape to the double 1982 murder that sent Porter to death row. Chargers were filed against another man who claimed he killed in self-defense. The case was broken by investigator Paul Ciolino working with Professor David Protess and journalism students from Northwestern University. Their investigation also found that another witness had been pressured by police to testify against Porter. Porter...