Missouri groups seek moratorium on executions

Published: 2007-01-19

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty is calling for the state's General Assembly to enact a three-year moratorium on executions in the state and to create a commission to examine the death penalty system. Nearly 300 groups in the state, including the four Catholic dioceses and numerous parishes, have endorsed a moratorium. On Good Friday last year the Missouri bishops issued a pastoral letter opposing executions, stating that more violence "is not a solution to society's problems." In the assembly's 2006 session a bill calling for a moratorium and study commission was introduced, but the measure did not advance to a vote. Similar bills in previous years met the same fate. Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty is a group with several Catholics on its board. In June, U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. ruled that Missouri's lethal injection system is unconstitutional and stopped the state from doing further executions. The decision is currently under appeal.

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