PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
September 26, 2012
The Honorable Steve Beshear, Governor
700 Capitol Ave., Suite 100
Frankfort, KY 40601
Dear Governor Beshear:
As you know, in 1987 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) made the decision to
relocate our national offices from New York and Atlanta to Louisville, where we have been warmly
received and have long since settled in. Responding to the call of Jesus Christ, we pursue mission goals
that embrace both national and global concerns for justice and peace. As residents of the State of
Kentucky, we are especially interested in the ways our commitment to the Gospel impacts the lives of
our fellow citizens here in our home state.
In light of that concern, and in the name of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
which I serve as Stated Clerk, | am writing to express our profound concern over the current initiative
underway to revise the statues governing the administration of the death penalty. One of the longest-
standing policies of our denomination is the total opposition to the use of capital punishment.
Through decades of strong advocacy for abolition of the death penalty, we have seen no compelling
evidence that it serves as a deterrent to would-be murderers. More importantly, the use of DNA analysis
and other available technologies has demonstrated that far too many individuals have been wrongfully
convicted and placed on Death Row to await execution. Sadly, there is evidence that some wrongfully
convicted persons have actually been executed.
Many other states, as well as a majority of the developed nations of the world, have abolished the death
penalty in favor of lifetime incarceration of felons who are deemed to be threats to society.
In light of these realities, we urge you in the strongest terms to use your good offices to turn the efforts to
“refine” our state’s execution process toward legislation that would remove the death penalty in deference
to non-Icthal alternatives that have been found effective in other jurisdictions. Please do everything in
your power to work for a future where we are no longer faced with the question, “Why do they kill people
who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?”
Sincerely,
Rarsono
Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
100 WITHERSPOON STREET LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY 40202-1396 L888.
AX 502-569-800
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