Death penalty in Michigan?
Yesterday I was privileged to be the guest speaker at a DEAD MAN WALKING prayer service on the Divine Child campus in Dearborn, Michigan. Here are excerpts of my address to some 900 high school students:
As I speak in churches, I have found that some Christians speak with forked tongues when it comes to the subject of SANCTITY OF LIFE. Life is sacred at the beginning, when we're talking about abortion. Life is not sacred at the end, when we're talking about capital punishment. Life is sacred when we talk about euthanasia, but life is not sacred when we talk about war.
In a recent speech at Ferris State University, Sister Helen Prejean congratulated those of us who are Michigan citizens for living in the first state to ban the death penalty. I contend that we should not be smug about this.
My friend Maurice Carter contracted Hepatitis C while spending 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Doctors discovered that he had the liver disease in 1995, but didn't tell him until he collapsed in 2003. By then, only a transplant could save his life. He received a commutation of his sentence for medical reasons in 2004, but lived in freedom for only three months.
MAURICE CARTER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
Now let me tell you about my friend David Moore in Grand Rapids. He repeatedly sought treatment in prison for rectal bleeding. By the time doctors performed a biopsy, they discovered he had a huge cancerous tumor, and the cancer had spread throughout his body. He, too, received a medical release because he was terminally ill.
DAVID MOORE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
Finally, a few words about Raymond Jones. I received a frantic call from the mother of a fellow prisoner who claimed that Mr. Jones was dying. It all began with a headache. No treatment. His condition worsened. Two Ibuprofin tablets. When we were called his eyes were rolling back in his head, and he was being pushed in a wheelchair. Too little treatment too late. Raymond Jones died.
RAYMOND JONES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
This is the tip of the iceberg!
Healthcare in our prison system needs drastic improvement. It's time to call a halt to the death penalty in the State of Michigan.
I end with a quote from Hebrews 13:3: REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS IF YOU WERE TOGETHER WITH THEM IN PRISON, AND THOSE WHO ARE MISTREATED AS IF YOU YOURSELVES WERE SUFFERING.
Doug Tjapkes, President
HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS
20 W. Muskegon Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49440
As I speak in churches, I have found that some Christians speak with forked tongues when it comes to the subject of SANCTITY OF LIFE. Life is sacred at the beginning, when we're talking about abortion. Life is not sacred at the end, when we're talking about capital punishment. Life is sacred when we talk about euthanasia, but life is not sacred when we talk about war.
In a recent speech at Ferris State University, Sister Helen Prejean congratulated those of us who are Michigan citizens for living in the first state to ban the death penalty. I contend that we should not be smug about this.
My friend Maurice Carter contracted Hepatitis C while spending 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Doctors discovered that he had the liver disease in 1995, but didn't tell him until he collapsed in 2003. By then, only a transplant could save his life. He received a commutation of his sentence for medical reasons in 2004, but lived in freedom for only three months.
MAURICE CARTER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
Now let me tell you about my friend David Moore in Grand Rapids. He repeatedly sought treatment in prison for rectal bleeding. By the time doctors performed a biopsy, they discovered he had a huge cancerous tumor, and the cancer had spread throughout his body. He, too, received a medical release because he was terminally ill.
DAVID MOORE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
Finally, a few words about Raymond Jones. I received a frantic call from the mother of a fellow prisoner who claimed that Mr. Jones was dying. It all began with a headache. No treatment. His condition worsened. Two Ibuprofin tablets. When we were called his eyes were rolling back in his head, and he was being pushed in a wheelchair. Too little treatment too late. Raymond Jones died.
RAYMOND JONES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WAS GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!
This is the tip of the iceberg!
Healthcare in our prison system needs drastic improvement. It's time to call a halt to the death penalty in the State of Michigan.
I end with a quote from Hebrews 13:3: REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS IF YOU WERE TOGETHER WITH THEM IN PRISON, AND THOSE WHO ARE MISTREATED AS IF YOU YOURSELVES WERE SUFFERING.
Doug Tjapkes, President
HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS
20 W. Muskegon Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49440
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