I disagree!
I believe that there is a time and place for the death penalty, which simply needs to represent true justice, rather than hate or revenge.
I can recall, when a recidivist rapist was released from jail, as a born again Christian, whose ability as an extremely convincing liar, had fooled some good people, who also don't believe in a death sentence?
And so, he walked free, and then went on a rape and killing spree, with a single survivor, a young nurse, living through the hell of repeated rape and around 40 or so stabbings!
One doesn't know how or why she survived for the 24 or more hours, it took to crawl inch by inch, back to the side of the road, where she elicited help, and then lived to tell her story!
Even so, the inherent delay, still gave one of the most monstrous mass murdering criminals, time to go on crime wave rampage, from Queensland to Western Australia; and rape and kill more innocent victims.
There was a death sentence, and it was carried out by a recidivist re-offender, on entirely innocent victims; and, who now lounges in comparative comfort, in one of our jails!
And, will likely die still incarcerated!
He, a much less than human, 100% proven, re-offending animal, costs the community around $70,000.00 PA, just to house him.
And there are others, who can be guaranteed 100%, to hunt down and sexually abuse/kill, very small children, if ever released.
On the other hand, the very same people, who argue against the death sentence, will almost always agree with both abortion, or the stilling of a beating human heart, and euthanasia.
Both of which are, I believe, a death sentence by another name.
Rhrosty.

Perhaps the problem is in the name.

Instead of sentencing someone to death, why not let them off with a suspended sentence?

(Suspended from a large oak beam, by a strong hempen rope.)

As long as the common law entitles a householder who fears for his life to defend himself against an intruder entering his house, by killing him if necessary, there remains a rational place for the community to do likewise.

I really do believe the death penalty should also be for the likes of Bush, Blair, Howard and all of those that create war, this always seems to be forgotten by many people, even those writing in "Online Opinion", it is death by the worst means,
but then again it all depends on which side of the fence you are sitting on, right side you get medals, wrong side you get shot, doesn't it. As mentioned in a previous post I was taught to kill as an 18 year old in National Serviceman, killing was part of the game and horrible at that, should I have received the death penalty if I had killed someone, most likely I would have received one of those medals for bravery. for what, because I had killed an opposition enemy
There is nothing wrong with VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA it is a personnal choice.

The article states --<It's time to abolish the death penalty so that we can affirm the value of all human life: so that we can prescribe the moral limits to the State's dominion over the human person.>

“So we can affirm the value of all human life”---like say the man who killed Daniel Morecombe?

What is the value of this man’s human life as compared to Daniel Morecombes. I will never see it as having equal value.
He choose to end the life of the Morecombe’s son Daniel, plus their future grandchildren through Daniel.

The law should make it plain that those who deliberately for no reason, believe they have the right to terminate another human being's life will lose the right to continue to have their own lifespan protected.

200 people died and were injured in the Bali Bombing. 200. These
bombers intended to kill as many as they could.

So what is the value of the bombers human lives as compared to their
innocent victims. These anti-death penalty people are saying that the killers lives should be assessed as having equal value as the people they killed. They forfeited their right to life when they chose to terminate 200 other lives.

Why do these people feel so much sympathy for the killers and not the innocent victims.
What they are saying is that you may kill innocents,( make them forfeit their right to life) but your life will still be protected. That is not justice and never will be.