On April 30, Arkansas’ supply of midazolam, the sedative used in state executions, expires. As a result, the state has executed four inmates in just eight days. This week, we talk with Brother Joseph Hoover, S.J., about these executions and the Catholic Church’s fight against the death penalty in Nebraska. In Signs of the Times, we […]
Death Penalty
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
The last suppers of Jesus Christ and Ledell Lee
To take Holy Communion in the face of death is to say that it is fellowship, and not food, that matters most.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
How the Supreme Court rules on this death penalty case will impact halted executions
During oral arguments, the court seemed evenly divided as it examined whether an Alabama death-row inmate should get a new sentencing hearing because he did not have a mental health expert during his sentencing trial more than 30 years ago.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Nebraska highlights the Catholic Church’s struggle with the death penalty
The fight against the death penalty lays bare the strengths and weaknesses of the Catholic approach to pro-life issues.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Arkansas completes first double execution since 2000
After going nearly 12 years without executing an inmate, Arkansas now has executed three in a few days—including two in one night.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Man executed last night in Arkansas chose Communion for his last meal
Arkansas has executed an inmate for the first time in nearly a dozen years as part of its plan to execute several inmates before a drug expires April 30, despite court rulings that have already spared three men.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
More states are considering legalizing assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is legal in five states and the District of Columbia. Will other states soon join the group?
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Judge halts Arkansas plan to execute inmates by end of month
A federal judge halted Arkansas’ unprecedented plan to execute several inmates before the end of the month because one of its execution drugs is about to expire.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
US bishops urge Arkansas officials to abandon rush of executions in April
Remarkably, the death sentences are being pushed through this month in an effort to beat the May expiration date for the state’s supply of midazolam, a controversial sedative that is one of three drugs used in lethal injections.
Posted inPolitics & Society
Executing 7 men in 10 days this Easter will not restore justice to Arkansas
Why do we use violence to solve violence?