Arkansas faith leaders met at the State Capitol Thursday morning seeking to reverse a new law allowing executions using nitrogen gas.
The seven clergy members represented a coalition of 40 faith leaders from several traditions who signed a letter delivered to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders following the press conference.
The Rev. Phillip Reaves of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock said that gassing prisoners not only robs them of life, but also of their dignity.
"Nitrogen asphyxiation is a move in the wrong direction. It is opposed to the Biblical view on human dignity. Many reports of it sound cruel and inhumane. It signals that one's dignity is based on the person's actions, and not on God’s love.”
The Rev. Dr. Denise Donnell of New Beginnings Church said she feels that resuming executions in Arkansas is tantamount to modern day lynching, and condemned those who used their faith as justification for the practice.
"That's part of the Christian heritage as we have rewritten the narrative. Those people who were members of the Ku Klux Klan, part of the criteria was to be a Christian, so that you could feel better about what you were doing because you could blame it on God. What's the difference in that, and what Gov. Sanders is doing now?”
Sanders signed Act 302 into law in March, which allows for executions to be carried out via nitrogen hypoxia.
The letter urged Sanders to “investigate the problems associated with execution by means of gas suffocation,” saying the practice is at odds with the state’s professed pro-life stance.
Speakers on Thursday also said the practice of execution via this form of asphyxiation is experimental and may be a form of torture.
The Rev. Jacqui Bushor of Faith Lutheran Church called breath one of God’s most sacred gifts.
"Breath is how God's love moves through the world. But this plan, Arkansas' experiment with nitrogen suffocation, it turns God's sacred gift into an instrument of death. It takes what God intends for life and twists it into cruelty and torture”
Bushor said that she understands that many families of victims of violent crimes believe the death penalty is necessary to bring justice. However, she feels the desire for vengeance is misplaced.
"I want those families to hear that the pain that they have experienced is real and it matters. I also want those families to recognize that their pain will not be absolved by inflicting pain on another human being and that human being's loved ones as well.”
In a joint interview with the Associated Press and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in April, Sanders said she was “not rushing to take action” in resuming executions.
A statement from a spokesperson for the governor said "Governor Sanders will be thoughtful and deliberative with each individual case as she works to hold criminals accountable and enforce Arkansas law."
Act 302 is currently being challenged in court.
