Regardless of how a person feels about the morality of the death penalty, one thing is certain: The punishment gives an absolute power to the government. Because of this terrifying influence, the death penalty should be eradicated in all 50 states.

Kelly Gissendaner was executed at 12:21 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, making her the first woman to be executed in the state of Georgia in 70 years.

Many conservatives are in support of the death penalty because they believe that the punishment should be equivalent to the crime. However, taking a human life should not be, and really is not, that black and white.

Gissendaner was convicted in 1997 for persuading her lover to kill her husband. Her partner in crime, Gregory Owen, was sentenced to life in prison. Owen took a plea deal, testified against Gissendaner and will become eligible for parole in 2022, according to USA Today.

“The question of whether or not murderers deserve to die is the wrong one. The real question is whether other humans have a right to kill them,” said Leszek Syski, a human rights activist from Maryland, back in 1982.

His words are still relevant today. The death penalty does not only affect the person losing their life, and it is for this reason that humans should not be allowed such a power over others.

In this particular case, Gissendaner did not commit the physical act of murder. Rather, she convinced her lover to do the dirty work for her. While this in no way means that her crime is any less wrong, it makes the question of what punishment she deserves much more complicated. The fact must be considered that the man who literally had Douglas Gissendaner’s blood on his hands got to live just because he had the opportunity to make a deal.

The well-publicized news stories made it clear that the death of both of their parents devastated the Gissendaner children, which should not be ignored by pro-death penalty groups.

Pope Francis effectively expressed the concerns of those against the death penalty in a letter written on his behalf to the board in charge of Gissendaner’s execution. Francis implored the board members to think about the consequences of the actions they would be taking. Francis emphasized that every life is sacred and “society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.”

Everyone should recognize that humanity exists in each and every person no matter how deep it is buried, Pope Francis reminded the recipients of his letter. It is not a question of whether or not the person “deserves” to die. This is because no matter how long and often the topic is discussed, there will never be a true conclusion because it is entirely a matter of opinion.

There will never be a way for human beings to definitively determine if murderers should die for their crimes. For this and many other reasons, the death penalty should be abolished because it allows certain people to dangerously yield the power of life and death over others.

Victoria Razzi is a sophomore advertising major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vcrazzi@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @vrazzi.

Published on October 5, 2015 at 12:00 am