He claims that the death penalty supports the belief that the criminal made himself insignificant and without any value by the crimes he committed. Nathanson does not believe that this is our place to determine a human’s worth. Once a criminal no longer stands a threat to anyone, they should not be considered so worthless that we take their life. When a person commits a crime, they lose some rights. But according to the constitution, they still have the right to life because it is a natural, inalienable right. The right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is not earned but it is acquired just from being a human and it cannot be lost (Timmons, 2007, pg. 545). Similarly, Nathanson believes that by abolishing the death penalty we can send the message that the inalienable rights are in fact treasured and the core of human dignity. It shows that even criminals deserve minimal respect and that human value cannot be
He claims that the death penalty supports the belief that the criminal made himself insignificant and without any value by the crimes he committed. Nathanson does not believe that this is our place to determine a human’s worth. Once a criminal no longer stands a threat to anyone, they should not be considered so worthless that we take their life. When a person commits a crime, they lose some rights. But according to the constitution, they still have the right to life because it is a natural, inalienable right. The right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is not earned but it is acquired just from being a human and it cannot be lost (Timmons, 2007, pg. 545). Similarly, Nathanson believes that by abolishing the death penalty we can send the message that the inalienable rights are in fact treasured and the core of human dignity. It shows that even criminals deserve minimal respect and that human value cannot be