Stephanie Slade on Whether the Tide of Conservative Support for the Death Penalty is Finally Changing

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Once upon a time, former Rep. Ron Paul was solidy
in favor of capital punishment. Now he’s helping to lead the charge
for a commutation of the sentence of Texas death row inmate Scott
Panetti, who was set to be executed tonight. Minutes ago, a court
of appeals announced that the execution would be stayed to allow it
“to fully consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at
issue in this matter.”

We can’t be sure that attitudes are headed for a tipping point.
Some three out of four Republicans still say they’re in favor of
the death penalty, and many of the conservative leaders who joined
Paul in asking for a stay of Panetti’s execution did so because
they believe he’s mentally ill, not because they believe capital
punishment is inherently wrong.

But conservatives should be skeptical of empowering
government—the same government the GOP routinely blasts as
incompetent—to decide who’s truly insane and who’s just faking it,
writes Stephanie Slade.

View this article.