October 10: Take action for World Day Against the Death Penalty

October 10 is World Day Against the Death Penalty. And you can help save some lives with just a few clicks.

Why oppose the death penalty?

The reasons are many:

The death penalty is applied unevenly and unfairly, and minorities are victimized in the process. Studies in several states have shown that the death penalty is applied in a discriminatory, arbitrary, and uneven manner, and is used disproportionately against racial minorities and the poor. For example, a 1998 study of death sentences in Philadelphia found that African-American defendants were almost four times more likely to receive the death penalty than were people of other ethnic origins who committed similar crimes. Where is the justice here?

In addition to its biased application, the death penalty is demonstrably not a deterrent.

Also, it is irreversible, which is a problem given so many cases of death row inmates who have been exonerated after conviction, based on DNA or other evidence. (How many other innocent persons weren't lucky enough to be proven innocent prior to their executions? We know of at least a few.)

On a more philosophical note, Amnesty International describes the death penalty as "the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights."

How you can help:

You can fight the execution machine with just a few clicks.

Amnesty International USA currently has several death-penalty-related actions online here

Citizen action sometimes makes a real difference.