Like most butchers of humans Kermit Gosnell is a coward. Today he exchanged his appeal rights for two life sentences. The death penalty is off the table for a man who doubtless is one of the great mass killers, by his own hand, of all time. Doubtless he would have probably died considering his age before a death penalty could have been carried out, but I wish that this squalid murderer had paid the ultimate penalty. A thousand of his worthless lives would not be worth one of the innocent lives he routinely snuffed out for cold cash. My consolation is that one day he will face a tribunal where no plea deals are ever made. Would that his victims could have been sentenced to life.
For the IRS:
Cold cash for murder types such as this one – Alert. Alert.
This seems like a more appropriate response: http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2013/05/14/let-us-love-and-pray-for-gosnell/
[…] M Briggs, Statistician to the Stars! The Greatest Scandal of All – Frederick W. Marks, Aleteia Gosnell Trades Appeal for Two Life Sentences – Donald R McClarey, TAC U. N. Delegates Grow Weary of Abortion Agenda – Stefano Gennarini JD, […]
Perhaps, if one wishes to heap hot goals on Gosnell’s head, although even I will not go that far. God died even for Kermit Gosnell. That does not diminish one whit the Justice he should face in this world and the next. His relationship with God is up to him, society’s responsibility is to punish Gosnell and deter others from following in his footsteps and his punishment will help that, although so long as abortion remains legal there will be other Gosnells. However, now they will be looking over their shoulders.
Robert P. George makes one statement at the link that JL provided which is false:
“He is our (very wayward) brother.”
Kermit Gosnell, in having rejected the Gospel of life, rejects adoption into the Kingdom of God (as St. Paul describes it in his various epistles) and is therefore NOT our brother. He is a human being like the rest of us to be sure, and yes, we all deserve death for our sins (hence Jesus having paid the supreme penalty on the Cross). But he is NOT the brother of any true and authentic and orthodox follow of Christ.
Galatians 4:4-6 states:
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!'”
Unless Gosnell repents, he is NOT an adopted son and hence is NOT our brother.
Before Gosnell cut his deal, it was discouraging to see Catholic writers I respect, like Robert George, Elizabeth Scalia and Kathryn Lopez, immediately assert that he should not get the death penalty. This guy murdered infants and joked about it. If he doesn’t deserve the death penalty, who does?
I think the problem stems from the complete removal of punishment from Catholic thought on the death penalty determination. Apparently centuries of teaching can be overturned by adding a couple of sentences to the final draft of the Catechism. The Church is not supposed to operate that way, even when the guy who probably added the sentences will be a saint soon.
I hope this cause those pro-life Catholics who have an unqualified knee jerk opposition to the death penalty to rethink that position. If there wasn’t a death penalty to take off the table to give Gosnell no motive to forego his right to appeal, given the connection of the case to the abortion issue and the mentality of many appellate judges, the result of an appeal could have been a bad one.
“Apparently centuries of teaching can be overturned by adding a couple of sentences to the final draft of the Catechism.”
Actually, what the Catechism does is lump prudential judgments (that modern penal systems are able to satisfy the ends of punishment without recourse to the death penalty which is outside the scope of Church teaching) and the teaching of the Church itself. And the confusion that has caused is indeed problematic.
I think social justice cadres employ the DP sham to justify/rationalize aiding and abetting abortion. “I can vote for Obama because he says he is opposed to the DP, Guantanamo, rendition, etc.” – All lies.
“Apparently centuries of teaching can be overturned by adding a couple of sentences to the final draft of the Catechism.”
Close to Truth.
This was a largely-complete re-write on capital punishment. It seemed to advance “protecting society from the killer killing again” over and above punishment and expiation of the sin. Not to mention that it utterly ignores the protection of innocent lives through deterring other killers.
Genesis (look it up): “Who spills man’s blood by man shall his blood be spilt. For man is made in the image of God.”