Seattle, Wash., Feb 8, 2019 / 03:04 am
The Catholic bishops of Washington state are expressing support for a senate bill that would repeal the death penalty.
This comes after the state's Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in October 2018, finding it had been applied in an arbitrary and racially-biased manner.
"Our country's legal system is far from perfect when it comes to imposing the death penalty," Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle wrote in a Feb. 5 joint statement released by the Washington State Catholic Conference.
"Senate Bill 5339 removes the unconstitutional language and moves Washington state towards greater justice and respect for life at all stages."