Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment - 1471 Words

Introduction Capital punishment is one of the most controversial ethical issues that our country faces these days. Capital punishment is the legal penalty of death for a person that has performed heinous acts in the eyes of the judicial system. Discussion on whether capital punishment is humane or considered cruel and unusual punishment has been the main issue this of debate for years. Recent discussion goes far beyond the act itself but now brings into question whether medical personal should aid in this practice. It is important to state that this paper will not address the issue on whether capital punishment itself constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Instead I will discuss allowing nurses to participate in lethal injection,†¦show more content†¦Having a nurse perform this duty does not give approval of the act itself, but does abide by both the ANA and the Constitution’s stance that the person is treated humanely and with dignity. Another argument made against capital punishment it goes against the nurses’ code of ethic (similar to the Hippocratic oath for medical doctors). It is argued that participation in capital punishment would tarnish the reputation of the medical community and associate medicine with death and execution. However, the Hippocratic oath and code of ethics has previously been revised to accommodate the Roe vs Wade legislature (George, 2011), which addresses the issue of abortion. Again, the ANA takes an opposition stance regarding the topic of abortion, but does not condemn nurses from participation. A letter written by a nurse to the editor of the Nebraska Nurse questioned the ANA’s stance on both these issues stating: â€Å"The nursing’s ethical code of conduct, stipulates that the nurse does not act deliberately to terminate the life of any person. and ... historically, the role of the nurse has been to promote, preserve and protect human life ... regardless of the personal opinion of the nurse on the appropriateness of capital punishment, it is a breach of the ethical traditions of nursing, and the Code for Nurses to participate in taking the life of any person. The writer questioned if the ANA would take the same stance on nurse participation if the words capital punishment wereShow MoreRelatedPros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1608 Words   |  7 Pageswhere capital punishment is legal. As of April 2016, there have been 1,431 executions in the United States, but the number of executions in recent years has been steadily decreasing (Timmons 2017). The death penalty can be put up for moral debate, and one can ask oneself whether the death penalty is ever morally permissible. There are some pros and cons to having capital punishment. For example, deterrence and prevention are good reasons to have the death penalty, but, in reality, the cons far outweighRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1237 Words   |  5 PagesPros and Cons of Capital Punishment INTRODUCTION Each year there are around 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the most severe method of penalty enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has condemned a criminal of a crime they go to the following part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge coincides, then the criminal will face some form of execution. Lethal injection is the most common process of executionRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1319 Words   |  6 PagesPeople and courts often justify capital punishment as society’s moral duty to safeguard the safety and well-being of its citizens. According to Miriam-Webster, capital punishment is the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human being. There is much controversy in the punishment of offenders who have committed murder. It is the maximum sentence a person can receive if the crime of murder is com mitted. Some would say it is inhumaneRead MorePros And Cons Of Capital Punishment1303 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment: The Benefits and Downfalls Taylor M. Osborne Charleston Southern University Abstract The following essay explores the pros and cons of capital punishment. A brief history of how capital punishment was introduced into modern society is included. Various resources have been used for research which include online articles, studies, and textbook references. This paper suggests the costs of capital punishment to be very high, but brings closure and justice to families, and evenRead MorePros and Cons of Capital Punishment3687 Words   |  15 Pages1.  Morality PRO: The crimes of rape, torture, treason, kidnapping, murder, larceny, and perjury pivot on a moral code that escapes apodictic [indisputably true] proof by expert testimony or otherwise. But communities would plunge into anarchy if they could not act on moral assumptions less certain than that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Abolitionists may contend that the death penalty is inherently immoral because governments should never take human life, no matter what theRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Since the mid 1900’s, capital punishment has brought many individuals into many diverse view points throughout the years. Capital punishment is a way of punishing a convict by killing him or her because of the crime he or she committed. Capital punishment will always have its pros and cons. There are opponents who absolutely disagree with capital punishment. And then there are advocates who support the idea. In the advocates view point, capital punishmentRead MoreEssay on The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment1208 Words   |  5 PagesThe topic of capital punishment is one that is highly debated in our society today. Capital punishment is the ultimate punishment our society can give one for their actions. On the other hand, it is viewed as a denial of human rights that promotes more violence in our society. Religious Tolerance.org states that in the United States, over 13,000 people have been legally executed since colonial times. (Religious Tolerance) Is capital punis hment a moral act? It is not a moral punishment as it deniesRead MoreDeath Penalty: The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay527 Words   |  3 Pagesto you about these problems with the death penalty in my paper. Everyone should ask themselves what they believe. Do you believe that by killing people using the death it will save lives. The death penalty is called capital punishment. You get sentenced with capital punishment for really bad crimes. Some of the ways they do the death penalty are with lethal injection, deadly gas. In some of the foreign countries they will kill people that have been given the death penalty by a firing squadRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay667 Words   |  3 PagesAdvent Catholic Encyclopedia, Capital Punishment is the infliction by due legal process of the penalty of death as a punishment for crime. Capital Punishment, also known as, the Death Penalty has been around for centuries. The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Not only is Capital Punishment ancient, it is highly controversialRead MoreBureau Of Justice Statistics : The United States Primary Source For Criminal Justice1439 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). U.S. Department of Justice. 25 Nov. 2014. Web. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. Bureau of Justice Statistics is the United States primary source for criminal justice statistics. The website has published information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, â€Å"The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is a component of the Office