Thoughts on Death Penalty

The death penalty verdict in the Indian Parliament bombing case got me thinking. My gut reaction is to oppose the death penalty. I have three simple reasons:

1. Death penalty is final. I dont think that the government has the right to take away a person's life. It is against natural law and I believe most major relegions are against taking away people's lives.
   
2. Even in countries with mature judiciaries like the US, UK and to a major extent India, the process is not fool proof. Even a very negligible chance of codemning an innocent victim to death is un-acceptable.
3. Last, but not the least, killing the perpetrator does not reverse the crime nor does it make the victim feel any better.
   

The above two arguments are logical and dispassionate observations of a neutral observer.

Now, consider the instance when a loved one, be it a partner, parent, child, friend or a relative, is harmed. The next of kin's thought process would hardly be logical. Raw emotions and instincts spurred on by millions of years of evolution are bound to take control. Inspite of our apparent progress, our instincts and involuntary actions are still guided by genetic pre-conditioning. The person who committed a serious crime against our loved one will be viewed as a serious threat to our genetic interest. Human beings always react to negate and neutralise a threat. In this case, is the death penalty justified? Will reason reign supreme over genetic, animal insinct? I am not sure.

I don't know how I will react under such duress. I like to think that I will be magnanimous and that logic will prevail.