Capital Punishment Abolition Amendment to the Constitution (Passed)

[MasterJedi]

Capital Punishment Abolition Amendment to the Constitution

Capital punishment is entirely abolished. It may never be used by the federal or regional governments under any circumstances.
Spon: Sen. Franzl

[MasterJedi]

I wasn't supposed to introduce this because of anti-clogging but there's nothing left in the queue and after the 2 bills that are on bgwah's deks are gone there won't be anything left. So I don't think anyone will really care that I did this.

[afleitch]

I fully support this.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I urge all Senators to oppose this legislation.

[Franzl]

I urge all Senators to oppose this legislation.

`

I'm terribly surprised about this.

[RI]

I fully support this.

[Bacon King]

I fully support this.

[Devilman88]

I really don't like this because I believe each region should also have the right to choose if they want to have Capital Punishment. But, if this passes I will not lose any sleep.

[Ebowed]

I support this, but the wording is a bit awkward.  FTR, this has been tried before (passed by the Senate, but only ratified by the Midwest and Pacific), using the following phrasing:

Constitutional Amendment to Prohibit Capital Punishment

1. Article VI shall be amended to include a new clause as follows: "No person may receive the death penalty as punishment for any crime."

[Bacon King]

I propose a friendly amendment to change the text of this amendment to:

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[Franzl]

accepted as friendly

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

[Franzl]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

[Franzl]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

I generally agree with the sentiment...but it seems like some things have to be restricted at the highest possible level. You wouldn't support allowing regions to decide if they wanted to use torture, would you?

Now you may claim that the death penalty is different....but for me at least, the only difference is current legality.

I think the federal government has the right...and the responsibility...to use its power accordingly to protect human rights.

[Purple State]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

I agree with this. I do not have any inherent opposition to the death penalty on ethical or moral grounds, but rather for financial reasons. Assuming a region is willing to undertake the financial burden of capital punishment, I do not believe the federal government should be able to compel them to remove the death penalty.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

I generally agree with the sentiment...but it seems like some things have to be restricted at the highest possible level. You wouldn't support allowing regions to decide if they wanted to use torture, would you?

Now you may claim that the death penalty is different....but for me at least, the only difference is current legality.

I think the federal government has the right...and the responsibility...to use its power accordingly to protect human rights.

     I think the death penalty, carried out properly, could be considered more humane than life imprisonment without possibility of parole, especially for younger offenders who may face 60-70 years in prison. I would gladly support an amendment mandating that any executions occur via guillotine, but I do not know about this. I may just choose to abstain, but I don't know yet.

[Franzl]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

I generally agree with the sentiment...but it seems like some things have to be restricted at the highest possible level. You wouldn't support allowing regions to decide if they wanted to use torture, would you?

Now you may claim that the death penalty is different....but for me at least, the only difference is current legality.

I think the federal government has the right...and the responsibility...to use its power accordingly to protect human rights.

     I think the death penalty, carried out properly, could be considered more humane than life imprisonment without possibility of parole, especially for younger offenders who may face 60-70 years in prison. I would gladly support an amendment mandating that any executions occur via guillotine, but I do not know about this. I may just choose to abstain, but I don't know yet.

Fair enough. It's a a personal opinion, of course.

[Smid]

     I've given this thought, & I'm not sure that capital punishment is something that should be necessarily ruled out for regions to use in extreme cases.

Why should it be any different than for the federal government?

     I would prefer generally decentralized power. Regions have the freedom to eliminate the death penalty themselves, but I don't see the great need to force it on a region that does not wish to forgo the option of using the death penalty.

I generally agree with the sentiment...but it seems like some things have to be restricted at the highest possible level. You wouldn't support allowing regions to decide if they wanted to use torture, would you?

Now you may claim that the death penalty is different....but for me at least, the only difference is current legality.

I think the federal government has the right...and the responsibility...to use its power accordingly to protect human rights.

I agree that the federal government has the right to dictate the treatment of its citizens, within the boundaries of its own jurisdiction. The government may certainly amend the Constitution to read that an Atlasian citizen's right to life may not be abridged while in Atlasia.

[Franzl]

I request a vote.

[MasterJedi]

I hereby open up a final vote on this amendment. Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

Nay

[Franzl]

Aye

[Frodo]

If we're going to make a statement by outlawing the death penalty (trampling over regional rights in the process), we might as well go and formally outlaw abortion as well -there's no reason why Atlasia should decide that the lives of criminals are of more worth than that of the unborn. 

[RI]

AYE.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Nay