Press Release

For Immediate Release - January 15, 2003
Tony Hileman, (202) 238-9088

(Washington, DC) On the occasion of today’s inauguration of Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., the American Humanist Association (AHA) affirms its opposition to his ongoing intention of bringing capital punishment back to his state.

Over the past weeks, Maryland's incoming Republican Governor, said that the release of a state sponsored report detailing the flaws in Maryland’s capital punishment system will have no effect on his decision to end the state's moratorium on executions.

AHA Executive Director Tony Hileman points out, “By making his declaration prior to the release of a state sponsored study on the death penalty, Ehrlich publicly exposed his prejudice and his eagerness to do what others abhor, ‘tinker with the machinery of death.’”

The study concluded that race and geography play a major role in whether or not an offender receives the death penalty. Not only does Governor Ehrlich continue to ignore these findings but also the opinion of the American Bar Association, which has publicly described the death penalty as “a haphazard maze of unfair practice with no internal consistencies.”

Hileman continues, “We urge Governor Ehrlich to follow the bold example of Illinois Governor George Ryan who this past weekend commuted the death sentences of all 167 state death row inmates. This move affirmed the facts already on the table concerning the death penalty: that it is an imperfect practice with irreversible consequences, universally prejudiced in its application, and subject to the whims of elected officials. This deplorable situation can no longer be ignored.”

“It is time for all of our elected officials to heed these facts,” said Hileman. The United States is alone among modern industrialized democracies in its antiquated use of capital punishment, and its system of application is irreparably flawed. Hileman concluded, “Absent action by legislators, the governors of our nation should follow the courageous lead of Mr. Ryan and immediately commute all capital sentences effectively ending this barbaric practice. It is the only humane course.”

The American Humanist Association is the oldest and largest Humanist organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to ensuring a voice for those with a positive outlook, based on reason and experience, which embraces all of humanity.