The governor’s message in vetoing House Bill 455 to repeal the death penalty perpetuates the myth that the families of murder victims support the death penalty. That is untrue. As a member of the Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, I have attended legislative hearings for the last 13 years and in that time I have heard scores of victim family members offer testimony on the death penalty. Over 90% of those family members who took the time to come to Concord and endure the emotional toll of recounting their experiences testified in favor of repealing the death penalty. Their reasons varied, but there was one universal theme: An execution would not give them the one thing they want above all else – to have their loved ones back – and they did not want the government to kill in their names.
BARBARA KESHEN
Concord