Abolishing the Death Penalty for Minors

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7051296/

I was excited and happy when I read this. The death penalty is something I'm not really sure belongs in our society anymore... particularly after I saw a show on the History channel about various ways that people are executed. I knew it was nasty, but... it was worse than I thought. In the last election, I voted for the only candidate in my state that was for abolishing the death penalty. She didn't win, but I'm still glad I voted for her. I felt that made the campaign, really. Granted, this ruling only abolishes the death penalty for those who are under 18, but it's a step. What concerns me is that people don't seem to understand that just because the people aren't being punished by death, doesn't mean that they're not being punished. I suppose one could make a case for the state's rights... but personally, I believe this is enough of an issue in the world that it ought to be a national issue. Most of the rest of the developed world has abolished the death penalty, entirely. Their countries aren't overrun with murderous gangs of people who have no fear of punishment... in fact, their crime is down. In a class I took in college, we covered the death penalty (a philosophy class about death), and none of the traditional arguments for it actually hold water. What's particularly disturbing, though, is that my state is one of the ones that still had the death penalty for juveniles. It may only be a small step towards what I think is right, but it's at least enough progress to feel like celebrating.