What would happen if I were to get the death penalty but death penality is against my religion?
Posted by admin on 21 May 2008 8:21 am. Filed under Law & Ethics.
BP asked:
Lets imagine somewhere down the road comes a religion where a person is not allowed to be injected with the same exact fluids that are used during the process of executing someone. Now lets say that I’m a member of this religion and I protested it because it’s against my religion. Also, there aren’t any other methods of execution. So I protest it because it’s violating my religious rights. What would happen? Would the courts excuse me or would I go ahead with it?
Lets imagine somewhere down the road comes a religion where a person is not allowed to be injected with the same exact fluids that are used during the process of executing someone. Now lets say that I’m a member of this religion and I protested it because it’s against my religion. Also, there aren’t any other methods of execution. So I protest it because it’s violating my religious rights. What would happen? Would the courts excuse me or would I go ahead with it?
On May 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
you would die no mater what.
On May 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
why, are you planning to commit a crime using this lame excuse to get off?
On May 24th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
It would not matter.
On May 26th, 2008 at 3:40 am
You’d be free to sue the state after they injected you. Better do it really fast, though.
On May 28th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I really think they would either go ahead with it, or find another method of execution.
On May 29th, 2008 at 2:46 am
You’d be given the death penalty anyway.
On May 31st, 2008 at 8:35 am
If you do the crime, be ready to pay the price. Don’t matter what you believe in, you will die for your crimes.
On June 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
So you have a religion that prohibits you from being injected with certain fluids, yet says it’s ok to kill someone else (which would be how you got sentenced to death in the first place)?
No one is going to take that religion seriously. What if you invented a religion that says it’s ok to rob, rape, and murder? Would you try that one in court as well?
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On June 4th, 2008 at 2:25 am
religion 0 Johnny Law 1
Sorry you would still be toast…you don’t have religious rights for breaking the law.
Otherwise every death row inmate would have already done this as well.
On June 4th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
A number of states have an alternate means of carrying out executions such as hanging, firing squad or the electric chair. I think the only thing that you would accomplish is changing the means.
On June 5th, 2008 at 2:45 am
You’d go through tons of appeals and possibly even a supreme court ruling that would lengthen your life in the short term, but eventually you’d still be put to death.
On June 6th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Religion ain’t gonna save your as s
On June 8th, 2008 at 4:59 am
you die.
This issue would properly be considered during sentencing and if you’ve already been given the death penalty then your religious beliefs have already been considered and dismissed.
On June 9th, 2008 at 4:27 am
don’t do the crime, if you cant do the “time”, or the penalty, or whatever….. just don’t do the crime…itsbad
On June 10th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
that is truly a weak question. If I were the judge I would try and switch the method of execution to something slower and more painful. Anyone who tries to use religion to escape from death penalty is not to bright, most religions have the same golden rule which is to treat others same way you want to be treated. hence, you murdered someone, so you must want to be murdered too. There would be no difference due to your religious preferences for death, if you were getting the death penalty for murder you would die one way or another. Don’t kill anyone, it’s bad.
On June 13th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
The Supreme Court has ruled that certain laws are constitutional despite infringing on your Constitutional (Free Exercise Clause) rights.
There was a case that went before the Supremes where children of a particular religion were opposed to immunizations. However, to be able to attend the public school where these kids would learn, they were required by the State to have certain immunizations.
The Supreme Court ruled that the State can impose certain laws that infringe on your Free Exercise rights. That there is a “public good” exception (if you will) within the Free Exercise clause. It is for the “public good” (i.e. the other students at this school) to being immunized against certain diseases. We don’t want these kids who aren’t immunized to catch something and then bring it to school and pass it to other children.
How this correlates to your question is that the State can impose the dealth penalty to you, despite your reilgious convictions against this fluid. And quite likely, the precedent set from the previous case I mentioned out lay the ground work for your case at hand.