Yesterday, an op-ed that I wrote was published with Cincinnati’s WCPO Channel 9. In it, I highlighted the conservative case against the death penalty in advance of my speaking engagement in Covington, Kentucky on October 14. I wrote,
Earlier this year, the nation watched as Nebraska, one of the most conservative states in America, voted overwhelmingly to repeal the death penalty. Similar movements have been stirring in other states as well. Ohio State Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg), Kentucky State Rep. David Floyd (R-Bardstown), and many other conservatives have sponsored legislation to end capital punishment and replace it with life in prison without parole. As conservatives increasingly learn how the death penalty is inconsistent with our values, capital punishment’s days are numbered.
The death penalty simply doesn’t live up to theoretical standards, and it isn’t pro-life, fiscally responsible, or representative of a limited government. I closed by stating,
As we are confronted with the government’s numerous egregious errors, we need to ask ourselves, do we really trust our error-prone government to administer the death penalty equitably, efficiently, and without mistakes? The government’s track record indicates that no, we shouldn’t entrust it with this kind of power. That’s why conservatives from across the country are abandoning capital punishment and why Northern Kentuckians have formed their own Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty group.