Virginia became the first Southern state to eliminate the death penalty on March 24, and faith-based groups were among those credited with leading the campaign for abolition. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation abolishing the state’s use of capital punishment…
Next BNG webinar unpacks successful faith-based drive to end death penalty in Virginia
A look behind the scenes at how the faith community helped navigate passage of Virginia’s historic repeal of the death penalty will be the topic of Baptist News Global’s next free webinar. The March 29 webinar will feature a discussion…
Final vote sounds the death knell for capital punishment in Virginia
Legislation abolishing Virginia’s death penalty received final approval from legislators Feb. 22 and is on its way to Gov. Ralph Northam, who has pledged to sign it. When he does, the Commonwealth will become the 23rd state to end capital…
Update: Virginia House joins Senate in voting to eliminate death penalty
Death penalty opponents are celebrating another milestone in Virginia, where the House of Delegates approved a bill Feb. 5 to abolish capital punishment in the state. The 57-41 vote followed the Senate’s 21-17 passage of an identical measure on Feb….
Virginia now one vote away from ending death penalty
Religious groups campaigning to abolish the death penalty in Virginia got a glimpse of the promised land Feb. 3 when state senators approved a bill that will end capital punishment in the Commonwealth if the House follows suit on Feb….
The death penalty is dying a slow death; it’s time we pull the plug
The death penalty is dying in America. I cheer its death. Capital punishment has been abolished in 22 states. Ten of the remaining 28 states have not had an execution in a decade. According to the Death Penalty Information Center,…
Effort to end death penalty in Virginia gaining momentum; prayer vigils planned
Organizers of a faith-based campaign to abolish the death penalty in Virginia say current signs of favorable legislative momentum are due, at least in part, to pressure being applied by churches and other religious communities. And their hope is that…
New effort to repeal federal death penalty is beginning
With three more inmates scheduled to be executed in the final week of the Trump administration — two of whom are sick with COVID-19 — legislation is being prepared that would end the federal death penalty. This follows a growing…
Clergy advocate to repeal death penalty in Virginia
A group of African American pastors, including three Baptists, urged Virginia lawmakers Jan. 7 to abolish the state’s death penalty, equating it to lynching and a declaration that Black lives do not matter. The ministers’ press conference, held on Zoom,…
Killin’ ’em for Christmas
In the midst of a surging pandemic that has killed 300,000 Americans plus an election that remains contested because the loser (and his idol-worshipping followers) will not accept the fact (defined as “a thing that is known or proved to…
Opposition to capital punishment reportedly growing among conservatives
Opposition to capital punishment isn’t just for liberals anymore. There’s a growing concern about the inequity and ineffectiveness of the death penalty among Republicans, independents and libertarians, according to Hannah Cox, senior national manager of Conservatives Concerned About the Death…
Trump wants to bring back firing squads, Trump supporters want to execute opponents, while support for death penalty continues to decline
While American support for the death penalty continues to decline, the Trump administration in its waning days seeks to return electrocution and firing squads as means of capital punishment. And several supporters of Donald Trump’s failed re-election bid this week…