The Death Penalty Is Not Morally Ambiguous - 1293 Words

In the United States, there are several topics that are considered morally ambiguous. Among these contended topics is the death penalty. There are many arguments for and against capital punishment. One proponent for the death penalty is Ernest van den Haag, who in his article, â€Å"The Ultimate Punishment,† argues a case for the death penalty. I believe he successfully counters the arguments against the death penalty leading me to believe it is not something that should be viewed as inhumane and wrong. I will argue that the death penalty is not morally ambiguous, but a justified sentence some deserve. Van den Haag believes that in upholding a death sentence, potential murderers are being deterred, victims protected, and justice served. Many†¦show more content†¦Many people have a fear of death, many a fear of confinement. It is impossible to predict which sentence would deter the most potential murderers. With this in mind, it makes more sense to have a variety of s entences that would deter the greatest amount of people. Abolishing the death penalty may result in those who are not deterred by the life sentence continuing to commit heinous crimes. As van den Haag states, â€Å"Sparing the lives of even a few prospective victims by deterring their murderers is more important than preserving the lives of convicted murderers because of the possibility, or even the probability, that executing them would not deter others† (194). The argument has been made that if we condone the legal execution of convicted murderers, then we are essentially endorsing murder itself. If this were so, then, as van den Haag points out, prison sentences would endorse kidnapping and fines would endorse robbery (195). If someone has the mentality that something the judicial system deems an appropriate punishment is unjust, then that individual will do as they see fit in retaliation. The death sentence itself does not endorse anything. This is again something that is defined on an individual level. As with anything in life, there is always the risk of making a mistake. Those opposed to the death penalty use this as one of their