Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., called for an end to the death penalty in Louisiana during his final State of the State address in an impassioned call for lawmakers to adopt legislative proposals reflecting its identity as a “pro-life state.”

According to the Death Penalty Information Center: “Seven of the 20 execution attempts were visibly problematic—an astonishing 37 percent—as a result of executioner incompetence, failures to follow protocols, or defects in the protocols themselves.”

Why would President Biden—who has done so much to repair America’s alliances abroad—have us side with Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea in voting for continued use of the death penalty in the world?

Commitments to protect tolerance and religious freedom need to be put into practice constantly so that these rights may be fully experienced, Pope Francis said.

To kick off October’s “Respect Life” month on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Gloria speaks with Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy about how a Catholic vision of restorative justice must guide our advocacy against the death penalty.

Pope Francis has asked Catholics to pray this September for an end to the death penalty, and we should ask ourselves a key question: Is it really necessary to kill in order to protect society?