Affirms Life By Edward Koch Summary

In Edward Koch’s essay he argues that the death penalty can prevent murders and affirm life. Koch begins his counter argument by addressing the issue of the death penalty being barbaric; he argues that while it may not be the most pleasant way to lower the murder rate it is necessary in order to achieve that goal. Since no other major democracy has a murder rate as high as the United States, the death penalty is necessary for lowering it and eliminating the issue of multiple murders. There have been many cases of murders committing the crime again, so if capital punishment was enacted murderers would never get the chance to kill again. When capital punishment is used it highlights the value of human life because it has such a strict punishment,

Edward Koch make it clear that he believes that capital punishment can prevent homicides: “Had the death penalty been a real possibility in the minds of these murderers, they might well have stayed their hands” (484). Koch tries to convince his reader that a strict punishment like the death penalty will definitely force people to think twice before they murder another human being. Koch uses evidence like the murder rate and cases where criminals committed multiple murders to support his defense for capital punishment, and uses the statistics to show how necessary capital punishment is necessary in the United States (485-86). This essay is directed at U.S. citizens how can be persuaded to support or have not yet formed an opinion on capital punishment, so the death penalty can gain supporters and be fully incorporated into the law. He also states that by making murderers pay with their lives, capital punishment makes the value of human life at a higher level (487). This argument can be used to support ether side depending on how the individual looks at it, and Koch uses it to effectively support his