Hyden said, “The case is simple. Conservative policies are supposed to be … pro-life, fiscally responsible and limited government. We risk taking innocent life, it costs more than life without parole, and I can’t think of a bigger government program than one where you can kill your citizens.”
He rejected claims by death penalty supporters that it’s a deterrent to crime. He’s right. According to FBI data, the South accounts for more than 80% of U.S. executions but has the highest murder rate in the country.
Hyden also warned that conservatives should be concerned about the lack of transparency in the states carrying out executions. For example, Florida, Georgia and Missouri, which were first to resume lethal injections after a botched execution in Oklahoma in April, refuse to say where they get their drugs or even whether they are tested. Hyden asked, “Do we trust our government to have secrets like these?”
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