Sister Joan Pytlik - "As Catholic followers of Jesus, himself a victim of capital punishment, we reflect on what Jesus taught us. We ask, 'What would Jesus do.' Regarding those who would attempt to bring justice for heinous crimes through the death penalty, or those who wish vengeance, Jesus gave a hard saying: 'You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But now I tell you: Do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you... Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may become the sons and daughters of your Father in heaven.'" (Matt. 5:38; 44-45)
Bryan Fulwider - "Our...culture is one of the most violent in history. We have accepted the notion that life is cheap, and we have become content with killing and destruction and murder as 'the way things are.' We, who imagine ourselves to be civilized, have sadly become the savages....When a society chooses to kill one of its citizens...we have eroded something of the highest and best and noblest of what God has created us to be."
Freddie Nixon - (ACADP chairman): "Why must we kill people to show that killing people is wrong? I know that eventually we will do away with the death penalty, because it is wrong, and a society such as ours will not continue to do something that is wrong."