Dignity Death Penalty

Words in the American language mean much more than the dictionary definition that is often associated to the word. Dignity, as defined by Merriam Webster, can mean as a formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language. Dignity can also mean the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. The word stems from the Latin dignitāt-em for “merit” and “worth”. The word would surface in Old French as digneté and later in Modern French as dignité. George Santayana, a famed philosopher once said “Our dignity is not in what we do, but what we understand.” Dignity is based on wholesome and honorable principles that do not co-exist with capital punishment. The death penalty is incompatible with the idea of dignity because it

The death penalty ultimately is taking an individual’s life as a justification for that person committing a heinous crime. As a society, it is noted that anything that is dignified is worthy of respect or considered honorable. If one is to take a look at one of the most honorable and respected documents in the United States, The Declaration of Independence; it is evident that dignity and the death penalty are incoherent with one another. The Declaration of Independence states, that every citizen of the U.S. has the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (National Archives) If the United States promises the individual the right to life and this right is considered “inalienable”, the death penalty simply can not be dignified. It is almost as if the federal government chooses to ignore the lack of respect that for the human body when someone is sentenced to death. An eye for eye treatment?, it isn't always the most appropriate consequence for matters such as sentencing someone who murders. If one is to also look at the highest law of the land, The United States Constitution, specifically The Bill of Rights; one can see that the idea of