Choosing Life LJAP ch 4

The Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion and capital punishment.

Why do 1.3 million abortions happen each year?  Rape  1% of pregnancies that end in abortion were the result of rape  School & Career  Poverty  I’m just not ready

Crime & Punishment  Between 1977 & 2006 more that 1057 people were executed  Why?  Some crimes are so violent a person forfeits his/her right to live  A crime harms society so much, in order to restore justice we must offer the same level of harm he or she caused society

“if you hit me I am gonna hit you back”  Child like tendency  Similar to our justice system  Known as retributive justice  “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”

Compassion for All  Human life is sacred  All humans are equal  Human life begins at conception

As the bishops say: “The antidote to violence is love, not more violence.”

A flawed system  12% of the national population is African American while 40% of people on death row are African American  Almost equal # of murder victims have been white and African American while 80% executed were executed for murdering a white victim

“Both-And” approach Not women or unborn but women AND unborn Not criminal or victim But criminal and victim

Building a Culture of Life

From Revenge to Restoration  Restorative justice:  Focuses on the harm of the wrongdoing more than the rules that have been broken  Shows equal concern to victims and offenders, involving both in the process or justice  Works toward the restoration of victims, responding to victims' needs as the victims see them

More restorative justice..  Supports offender while encouraging them to understand, accept, and carry out their obligations  Recognizes the while obligations may be difficult for offenders they should not be intended as harms  Provides opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victims and offenders, as appropriate  Involves the affected community through the justice process

Q Restorative justice does not have to apply to the hardest cases alone. Imagine you are a victim or a perpetrator of a smaller crime- say stealing a bike. How could restorative justice resolve such a crime.

Representing these people, act out a mediation using restorative justice. Stay in character. Victim-had bike stolen Mother of victim Perpetrator-stole the bike Mediator

Making it Easier to Choose Life  Legislation  Changing sexual behavior  Addressing poverty  Making work/school more parent friendly  Stopping violence against women  Encouraging greater involvement by men