The Gissendaner Conundrum ...

This past week, the State of Georgia put Kelly Renee Gissendaner, age 47, to death for her role in planning the murder of her husband, Douglas, in 1998; she was the first woman put to death in the state since the Second World War, and one but a handful of women across the country put to death since the return of capital punishment to the U.S. in 1976.

Many issues stood out about this case as compared to others, issues that should to us, as Catholics, cause a great deal of concern and, indeed, even consternation. First among these issues is the fact that the actual murderer received a life sentence with the possibility of parole in exchange for his testimony against her (she declined a plea deal that would have spared her the death sentence), so, while she was being strapped to a gurney with needles in her, he may actually walk out of prison as soon as the early 2020s. In addition to this disparity of justice, it appears that Ms. Gissendaner was a positive force within the prison community, earning a degree in theology, and credited by many with turning around the lives of numerous women who passed through the institution where she was incarcerated while she was alive. Finally, in an apparent affront to diplomatic sensibilities, attempts by the Holy Father, through his Apostolic Nuncio, to intervene in the execution – fresh on the heels of his wildly popular and successful visit to the U.S. – apparently were either rebuffed or fell on deaf ears. That said, even the Holy Father did not minimize her role in the crime or excuse her conduct, but rather simply addressed some of the many issues the Holy Church often speaks of in these matters, such as proportionality of punishment, as well as the overarching theme of permitting every chance of evolving redemption within life, which the Church protects from conception until natural death.

Now, we add a further layer of complexity to this sordid tale of crime and punishment in America. On Wednesday, the State of Oklahoma came within mere minutes of strapping Richard Glossip to the gurney for his alleged role in a capital murder, and there is a lot of doubt regarding any role he may have played at all in that crime. Despite the many cries of possible innocence, the state was so intent on killing him that, at the last minute, it was discovered the state had obtained an unapproved cousin of one of the protocol drugs designed to stop the heart, but totally untested for its efficacy in human executions. Thankfully, Gov. Mary Fallin has placed Mr. Glossip’s execution on hold through November 5^th.

If you are stunned at the killing machine in motion at this country at present, you should rightfully feel that way, but not surprised. In the last 42 years, since Roe v. Wade, we are a country that has moved away from embracing life and its manifestation by watching our judiciary at the highest levels permit the horrors of abortion, capital punishment and LGBT “marriage”. I implore you all to watch very carefully what is happening around you and the Gehenna it is leading us to; sadly, many of us remain silent, and the silence, at present, is deafening.

God bless …