A special commission, created in late 2005 by the New Jersey state legislature, released a report on Tuesday, January 2, 2007, in which it recommended that capital punishment be abolished in New Jersey. Eleanor Roosevelt, a longtime human rights activist, also opposed capital punishment, and believed that the use of the death penalty was gradually becoming less accepted by society. She wrote:
“Our knowledge of human beings is limited. We cannot know all about any other human being. For the protection of society, if a human being seems dangerous we have a right to limit his contacts and thus protect others from the danger. But I doubt if we have a right to take away a gift which we alone cannot give. For that reason I believe the movement against capital punishment is growing stronger in our country. It is a good thing to have people think about the problem at this time. I hope many people will give it serious reflection and come to the conclusion that I have—that human beings have no right to take each other’s lives.”
Does the New Jersey commission’s recommendation indicate that Eleanor Roosevelt was right, that people are becoming less willing to accept the death penalty?
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