McMaster, South Carolina should stop execution of Owens; here's why

Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?

The state of South Carolina is scheduled to execute Freddie Owens on Sept. 20. If the execution goes as scheduled,. Owens will be the first person executed here in South Carolina in well over a decade.

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Killing Owens will solve none of the issues that South Carolinians faces today. It will not bring any kind of justice, nor will it make South Carolina a safer state, but it is costing taxpayers. Executing Owens will only bring more pain and suffering to our state.

It is hypocritical for individuals like Gov. Henry McMaster to claim to be pro-life while also being pro-execution. If we want to make South Carolina a truly pro-life state, that must include ending the death penalty.

I believe that South Carolina should strive to be more like West Virginia regarding the issue of protecting life. Currently, West Virginia is the only state in America that has banned both abortion and the death penalty.

I oppose the execution of Owens because I oppose lethal injections for the ill, the preborn, and the accused. I proudly support the heartbeat legislation that McMaster signed into law, and the governor should stop the execution of Owens and let his heart beat.

Hayden Laye

Walhalla

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: S.C.’s, McMaster’s death penalty stance at odds with abortion ban