ABOLITIO
N NOW!
KENTUCKY COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH
PENALTY
PO BOX 3092 LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
kcadp@earthlink.net
November 27, 2004 For Immediate Release
Contact: Rev. Patrick Delahanty - 502.581.9154 or 502.494-
3298
Abolitionist voices will converge at a Rally for Justice! on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 3
p.m. on the State Capitol steps to urge Kentucky's Governor, Dr. Ernie Fletcher,
to commute the death sentence of Thomas C. Bowling.
The Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (KCADP) has organized the
Rally to ask Gov. Ernie Fletcher to commute the sentence that had been
scheduled for Nov. 30. On Tuesday, two courts blocked the scheduled execution.
The Kentucky Supreme Court is considering whether Bowling should have a
hearing to determine if he is mentally retarded and, therefore, can’t be executed
according to the U.S. Supreme Court and Kentucky law. A Franklin Circuit Court
also stayed the sentence until it can decide whether the state’s lethal injection
methods are constitutional.
KCADP is convinced that, in signing the warrant, Gov. Fletcher, a physician,
violates the Hippocratic Oath he has sworn. It appears that his action is unethical
since it fails to meet the ethic standards of the American Medical Association and
the Kentucky Medical Association. He is breaking the law of Kentucky which bars
physicians from being involved in executions.
The Rally will include a reading of names of Kentucky Death Row inmates and
their victims. The Rally will conclude with a procession to Gov. Fletcher’s home.
Speakers will include:
« Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper, executive director of Kentucky Council of
Churches.
Maria Hines, director of the Kentucky association of Murder Victims
Families for Reconciliation.
Terry Taylor, executive director of Interfaith Paths to Peace.
¢ Leaders of KCADP supporting partner organizations.
Meanwhile, an ecumenical prayer service will coincide with the Rally at St.
Monica’s Church in Bardstown. The service is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST on Nov.
28. For additional information, contact Sister Mary Schmuck at (502) 331-4545.
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