ATLANTA—Georgia Catholics Against the Death Penalty (GCADP) urges support of Georgia House Bill 702 to repeal the state’s death penalty.

A bipartisan group of legislators introduced HB 702. If enacted, the bill would replace the death penalty in Georgia with life without parole.

GCADP states, “As pro-life people, we cannot accept the risk of wrongful conviction, leading to the execution of an innocent person.”

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, six people have been exonerated from death row in Georgia. The GCADP contends that the death penalty is riddled with racial bias and unequal justice for the accused. In addition, millions of dollars are spent on capital trials, incarceration and appeals.

There are actions to take to increase the likelihood of a hearing on the legislation:

-Contact your Georgia House member in person, by phone, or email. Ask them to urge Speaker David Ralston and Chairman Chuck Efstration to hold a hearing.

-Conduct a petition drive to collect signatures, urging legislators to hold a hearing on the proposed legislation. An action kit may be found at gacadp.org/repeal.

 The bishops of Georgia oppose SB 291, recently introduced assisted suicide legislation. The bishops released a statement on Jan. 17: “Physician-assisted suicide targets vulnerable members of society, including the elderly and persons with disabilities, suggesting that their lives are not worth living.

“We must uphold the dignity of all human life, cherish the lives of all human beings, and work to prevent all suicides. We will urge the Georgia General Assembly to do all it can to protect Georgians from this cruel practice and to ensure those who are ill, disabled or facing the end of life receive comprehensive medical and palliative care instead of a facilitated suicide.”