Interesting question though, which I think the innocence / guilt thing sidesteps a bit too neatly.
If the jury says someone is guilty, the law provides that they can be executed. The law also says that a woman can have an abortion. I guess as always it comes down to whether one agrees with a particular law, which generally comes back to a moralistic / religious standpoint.
1. The period during which abortion is legal is, I believe, related to the time the foetus is viable....
So, Bob, if science pushes back the time of viability, should the law, at some point elimate the right to abortion?
2.This may be as different direction from the OP, but the punishment of the guilty is an obligation of a just society.
It is of more than passing interest to me that the death penalty for murder is the only law repeated in all five of the books of the old testament.
The death penalty is a value, values are eternal, as opposed to customs or traditions, such as stoning for adultery.
For the record, there are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. I believe you are referring to the Books of Moses (aka The Torah or The Laws of Moses).
Maybe someone caught this and mentioned it after your post. I have not yet finished reading the thread.
Immie
Immie....
This is the operative line that you missed: "...the death penalty for murder is the only law repeated in all five of the books of the old testament. "
There are five books.