As Missouri prepares to execute a man who has served as a Christian minister behind bars, the state is denying the request for his chosen spiritual advisor to be present with him during the execution — despite a 2022 U.S.
Brian, I am a little late posting my response. I very much appreciate your article, and am deeply troubled be the course of action being taken by the Department of Corrections in denying basic religious liberty to a condemned man. The failure of DOC to have drafted an appropriate policy in conformity with the Supreme Court decision is simply a deliberate action to ignore the Court, as we are going to see more and more at different levels of government. The attempts at justifying the DOC action would be laughable, if not for the seriousness of the situation. Of course, the Governor with a phone call, as a "Christian" could take care of the matter and order the warden to allow the spiritual advisor to be present, if not in fact both of his daughters. Having not studied the conviction, I can offer no comment on that, and with the Governor's failure to grant clemency that matter has been rendered moot. The really PRO-LIFE course of conduct would be to comute the sentence to life in prison, then the possibility of correcting an injustice in the conviction, if that would prove to be the case, would be possible.
Brian, I am a little late posting my response. I very much appreciate your article, and am deeply troubled be the course of action being taken by the Department of Corrections in denying basic religious liberty to a condemned man. The failure of DOC to have drafted an appropriate policy in conformity with the Supreme Court decision is simply a deliberate action to ignore the Court, as we are going to see more and more at different levels of government. The attempts at justifying the DOC action would be laughable, if not for the seriousness of the situation. Of course, the Governor with a phone call, as a "Christian" could take care of the matter and order the warden to allow the spiritual advisor to be present, if not in fact both of his daughters. Having not studied the conviction, I can offer no comment on that, and with the Governor's failure to grant clemency that matter has been rendered moot. The really PRO-LIFE course of conduct would be to comute the sentence to life in prison, then the possibility of correcting an injustice in the conviction, if that would prove to be the case, would be possible.