To the editor:

This year, our society has seen an increasing number of issues surface around the ongoing debate of life vs. quality of life. Time and time again we have been tested on our beliefs of what is morally and ethically right.

Today, our state legislators are playing politics with issues of life. Senate Bills 28 and 6 are counter current statutes on the death penalty which have been deemed unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court.

On this note, I would like to clear up some myths that may be smoke screening more practical solutions. Many believe that the death penalty serves as retribution, a deterrent and is cost-effective.

The fact is that capital punishment costs three times more than life imprisonment with costs ranging from $500,000 to $1.2 million per case. Who pays for this? We do. An additional alarming fact is that each county actually predetermines how many death penalty cases they can afford to pursue each year based on their budget.

Studies have shown that states that implement the death penalty actually have a higher murder rate. It’s not working. And not all of the victims’ families are in favor of execution. Many of them feel that this only perpetuates a vicious cycle of violence. Whose quality of life is being preserved here?

A solution-focused view would say that our tax dollars would be better spent by providing support to victims’ families and rehabilitation. Wouldn’t this be a more constructive and practical approach?

Vanessa Palenske,

Basehor