The Star Tribune has an article this morning about the return of the death penalty to South Dakota. In January the South Dakota Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences for two convicted killers. One of them has said he is set to accept his punishment and his execution has been set for August.
This is the same state that just recently passed a near-total ban on abortion. And I would venture a guess that if you asked the political leaders in South Dakota who pushed for this anti-abortion measure you would hear them say they were supporting a culture of life. But what they are really supporting is governance according to conservative religious principles. It's using the power of the state to execute criminals and using the power of the state to control women's reproductive choices. We used to call it "Old Testament" justice, but it could just as easily be conservative Islamic or Christian justice. Whatever you call it, South Dakota has taken a step backward in time.
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