This article by Adam Liptak in today’s New York Times sickens me.
“Should Doctors Help With Executions? No Easy Ethical Answer”
“ATLANTA, June 7 – Dr. Sanjeeva Rao used to look after the inmates at the state prison in Jackson, Ga., treating their high blood pressure and more serious ailments. When the state started using lethal injections in 2000, he took on another task: helping to execute them.”
I cannot abide the concept of capital punishment in that it grants to the State the very right which it is denying the individual, and rightly so.
The ethical and personal morals of a physician put into this position are challenged when he is being asked to assist in an execution. But capital punishment is legal in some states. He therefore is doing nothing illegal. And would I want him there if I were facing execution? Yes.
I cannot justify “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” I cannot believe that this is right, despite the Code of Hammurabi or the Bible (Matthew 5:38).
This makes me sad.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
The fragment Matthew 5:38 doesn’t support the capital punishment, just the opposite. Please read Matthew 5:39!
Of course you’re right! Matthew 5:38-5:39 refer to the saying “an eye for an eye, etc.” as given in the old Testament, Exodus for one. It particularly cites it as a road not to be taken, and encourages one to “turn the other cheek” instead. Thank you for correcting me on this.