You cannot distinguish between an innocent life, and a guilty one? That seems to be the Catholic Church's 'reasoning' here.
As a faithful Catholic, I am within my competence to say that the Oregon Bishops in this case are quite wrong: they need to defend children who are not yet born, who at present have less protection than rare molluscs and endangered rodents. Pass this bill, which is a step toward justice plain and simple: LATER worry about the death penalty if it ever comes up in this type of situation.
I'm an opponent of the death penalty too, butI fully recognize (as the Catholic Church recognizes) that it is a quite different matter and requires a different line of moral reasoning, than abortion.
Abortion is always a sin and a crime in God's eyes, because it is always a great moral wrong to deliberately kill an innocent human being (whether it is done by euthanasia, terrorism against civilians, infanticide, WMD's, abortion, a bomb, or a baseball bat.) The principal is about as absolute as you can get: you must never deliberately destroy an innocent life.
In the matter of war and capital punishment you are not dealing with the inncent, but with aggressors. When the State, after fair trial or due process --- and as a matter of protecting the security of the community --- imposes the death penalty, that is not murder.
But the Church also teaches the possibility of real repentance. From the beginning, from Cain the first murderer, right down through King David and Saul (Paul) of Tarsus, it was illustrated that God wants neither the death nor the damnation of the evildoer: God wants repentant, broken hearts; restitution; atonement; redemption.
Seen from this point of view, we can preserve the life of the guilty person, because we don't know what further use God might have for this person while he is still on earth. We are motivated to give this person as much time as we can, to repent.
That would mean that,IF (big "IF") society's security can be adequately protected by giving the murdere a life sentence with no possibility of parole, then that's in greater conformity to the will of God.
Maybe the Bishops should concentrate for a season on teaching the Catechism. Or learning it themselves!
I have often thought that if the life-sentenced murderer then re-offends WHILE SERVING HIS LIFE SENTENCE (e.g. if he assaults another inmate, or a guard) he is demonstrating that he is still a violent securty risk even in jail --- and thus he is in a sense choosing his own execution.
Yes, I can. I'm saying I do not agree with the Church's rationale in this instance.