Nebraska Newspaper Calls for Abolition

Days after Nebraska's Supreme Court struck down its electrocution statute, the Lincoln Journal-Star published an editorial calling for the end of the death penalty there. The state was left without a means of carrying out executions--as the electric chair was its sole method.

The Journal-Star editorial asserts, "The time is ripe to abolish capital punishment in the state...Instead of rushing to pass a new means of capital punishment, the Legislature should take this opportunity to finally get rid of the death penalty."
Read the full editorial here.

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CT ASK: Fighting the Death Penalty Through Publication

The Chicago Tribune recently published an editorial which called for the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. The state of Illinois has had a moratorium on the death penalty since Governor George Ryan implemented it in early 2000. This strong stance by the renowned publication is reflective of the larger shift in public opinion nationwide towards moratorium and abolition, the subject of an April 8th Chicago Tribune article.

Additionally, the Tribune has now set up an easily accessible archive of its articles on the death penalty dating back to 1997 which can be accessed at chicagotribune.com/deathpenalty.

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Indiana Loses 'the conscience of the General Assembly'

This past Sunday, Indiana Senator Anita Bowser of Michigan City died in a hospice in Indianapolis.

Senator Bowser was consistently a fierce critic of the death penalty and was at the forefront of working towards ending its use in Indiana. She managed to raise the minimum age for death penalty offenders to 18 and was working towards ending execution of the mentally ill during the current legislative session.

She will be greatly missed.

It nows falls upon others in the Indiana Senate to take up the banner of the noble causes which she furthered during her tenure. Hopefully, her bravery and passion has inspired others to take such strong stances against the death penalty within the legislature. There would be no greater tribute to Senator Bowser than the elimination of the death penalty.

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Montana Senate Votes for Abolition

Kudos to the Montana Senate which recently voted for abolition of the death penalty in their state. Senators cited innocence, cost and pro-life ethic among their reasons for supporting the abolition. The bill now faces a final vote and will go to the House for consideration.

As we continue to see the wave of moratoriums and legislative moves towards abolition, we can only hope that Indiana soon gets caught up in serious debate over the death penalty before faced with another execution.

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International Death Penalty Abolition Day

Today, March 1st, marks the anniversary of Michigan becoming the first US state and English-speaking territory worldwide to abolish the death penalty back in 1847. This action has its roots in the wrongful execution of a Detroit native based on circumstantial evidence in 1828. Seven years after his execution, his ex-roommate confessed to the crime on his death bed. This lead to the abolition of the death penalty in Michigan being the first act of the legislature upon Michigan becoming a state in 1847.

We hope that someday soon, we can celebrate the same accomplishment here in Indiana.

However, until then, we will honor this holiday by holding our committee meetings at the CSC beginning at 6:30. Click here for the posted committee schedule. We hope to see you there.

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