In Brief: The Death Penalty: Britain's Dilemma and America's
As the world shifts to eliminate capital punishment, will the United States stand firm in upholding their stance?
British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, has virtually signed away Parliament's right to restore capital punishment. The hanging penalty was removed from the law books in the United Kingdom over 30 years ago. Mr Straw recently endorsed the Sixth Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights-making it very, very difficult to reverse the Human Rights Act now enshrined in British law.
The Daily Mail commented: "Among everything Britain has signed away to Europe, the right to reintroduce the death penalty may be the one that is regretted most, especially by victims of future murderers." Polls over the last 30 years have shown that the vast majority of the British people want hanging reintroduced. Though former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher always voted "yes," the British Parliament consistently refused to do so when the decision was still in its power.
This landmark decision comes at a time when the evidence is beginning to show that the reintroduction of capital punishment in some 38 states is working in the United States. The American murder rate has dropped considerably over the past ten years, and some observers feel that the death penalty is primarily responsible.
Take New York state: capital punishment was reintroduced in 1995 and the number of murders has fallen by about 50 percent since. Murders in New York City have dropped from 1,200 in 1994 to 500 in 1998.
Correspondent Daniel Jeffreys summed up his report from the Big Apple: "It has taken 15 years but the streets of America's big cities are now safer than they have been for generations. All categories of violent crime are down." Of course, this does not mean that America is completely out of the woods. There is still far too much general crime and the murder picture, though much improved, still has a long way to go. (The Daily Mail, January 28, 1999)
MANILA AND NEW YORK: (Innovative Media, Inc.) - The year 1999 could prove to be very decisive in the history of human rights if there is success in abolishing the death penalty. Next autumn, the U.N. General Assembly could decide on a moratorium regarding the death penalty. It will be a highly debated issue, as countries are increasingly declaring themselves with clarity in favor of or against execution.
The European Union is clearly abolitionist, having overcome Great Britain's reluctance and paid attention to the pope's defense of life.
The hard core countries in favor of the death penalty are the U.S., many Islamic countries, and some Asian states like Singapore, China and the Philippines.
If the United Nations attempts to have the death penalty abolished on a worldwide scale, would the U.S. use it's veto to overrule such a mandate? And if the United States were successful in their influence, what will be the reaction in Europe and especially in Rome?
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: March 1999
Course Content
Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
David Palmer
Born in Saskatchewan Canada, David Palmer was first introduced to the radio broadcast of the World Tomorrow during his career in broadcasting, when the program was aired during his on air shift. In 1965 his radio career took him to Vancouver British Columbia, where he was eventually baptized, and began attending Sabbath services. He was ordained to the ministry in 1983. Now retired from broadcasting David currently pastors congregations in Vancouver, and Vancouver Island. He is also a member of the UCG-Canada National Council, and serves on the Canadian Ministerial Services Team, as well as the Canadian Media Team
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Phil Schafer
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