WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Changes in law and public opinion have had their role to play in the quest to end capital punishment in the United States, but Catholic teaching also has played a part, according to Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Oct. 11, 2018 AP Washington’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state’s death penalty Thursday, ruling that it had been used in an arbitrary and racially discriminatory manner.

Washington has had a moratorium on executions since 2014, but the ruling makes it the 20th state to do away with capital punishment by legislative act or court decree. The court converted the sentences of the eight people on Washington’s death row to life in prison.

Telling a story can be a powerful means of expressing a point of view, evoking emotions, or explaining a difficult situation. In a new publication from OADP, nine Oregonians have shared their painful stories and opened their hearts in Not in Our Name, a composite of stories shared by murder victim family members.

To download your copy of Not in Our Name, please share or donate below:

Three former Oregon State officials discuss their roles in the execution of two inmates, and share their feelings about the execution process and the use of the death penalty.

The Conversation from Now Video on Vimeo.