From the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC)

On Martin Luther King Day, DPIC looks at the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s views on capital punishment.

In a November 1957 article in Ebony, Dr. King was asked “Do you think God approves the death penalty for crimes like rape and murder?” He responded, “I do not think that God approves the death penalty for any crime, rape and murder included…. Capital punishment is against the better judgment of modern criminology, and, above all, against the highest expression of love in the nature of God.”

12/2/2019 A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Monday denied the Justice Department's efforts to lift a temporary halt on four federal executions.

The department had appealed a trial judge's ruling last month that ordered a stay of the executions while a separate legal challenge to the Trump administration's new lethal injection protocol plays out.

The longest running of the four lawsuits was filed 16 years ago, and the cases went dormant during the Obama administration amid a shortage of lethal injection drugs.

On June 29th, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1013 by a vote of 17-10. It has been signed by the Senate President and House Speaker and is now awaiting the signature of Governor Brown.

Today, Tuesday May 21, at 11:00 AM the Oregon Senate will read, debate and vote on the OADP supported bill to "reduce the use" of the death penalty, with Senate Bill 1013.

If you can, please alert your senator to let them know you support SB 1013 to reduce the use of the death penalty as a step towards repeal. 

Aba Gayle, former OADP Board member, Advisory Council member, international speaker, and murder victim family member, was invited by Governor Gavin Newsom prior to his announcement of his moratorium of California’s death penalty.

Reflecting on her visit in California, Aba Gayle said, “I am still basking in the joy of being invited by Governor Newsom to meet with him just prior to the announcement of his Moratorium to the Death Penalty.