Statement from Reps. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle), Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) and Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla) on House Bill 1504 (eliminating death penalty)
“At a time when our state is striving to come together on major policy issues we feel there is meaningful value in uniting behind our shared conviction that life has value and that the death penalty is below us as a civilized society. We respect and acknowledge the political environment in Olympia does not welcome this issue on the agenda this year. And yet, nonetheless, we feel compelled to stand together, to speak out together, to encourage our colleagues to join us in elevating the dialogue about this profoundly important moral issue. We believe the death penalty is immoral, unfairly implemented, and appeals to society’s most violent instincts rather than love and compassion. And it is financially draining, as we expend far more on the appeals process for death row inmates than lifetime incarceration. As we weep in pain for victims of horrific, unimaginable crimes, we also hope and pray that one day our state will join a community of states and nations to eliminate this unwise policy.”