Dear Friends, Last week, the Maryland General Assembly voted to end the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment against criminals in our state.  As a strong proponent of the repeal of the death penalty, I applaud the delegates and senators who voted to abolish this inhumane practice.  (Click here to see how your state delegate or senator voted.)  My reasons for supporting the repeal are clear and straightforward.  As a physician, I swore an oath to “do no harm” and committed to saving the life of everyone under my care, regardless of whether the patient was a convicted felon or accused of a heinous crime.  The death penalty is fundamentally at odds with my duty to provide life-saving care to all individuals unequivocally.  Statistics have shown that the death penalty discriminates against minorities and is applied unfairly.  Notably, accused criminals who are racial minorities have a higher likelihood of landing on death row, particularly in instances where the victim of the crime is white, as shown in a report conducted by the University of Maryland.  Other factors that are known to influence the risk of being sentenced to death include:  the wealth of the defendant, the geographic location of the crime, and the expertise of the defending attorneys.  For these reasons, many advocacy groups in Maryland such as the ACLU, League of Women Voters, and the NAACP have all expressed support for the repeal of the death penalty.  Lastly, I strongly oppose a practice that allows innocent people to be sentenced to death.  Even one person who is accidentally executed is one person too many to let this continue.  This is not a rare occurrence:  142 inmates sentenced to death have been exonerated since 1973.  Surprisingly, one death row inmate is exonerated for every nine that are executed.  And while DNA evidence can reduce the likelihood of a mistake, the law enforcement and justice systems rely upon the actions of people.  People are inherently imperfect and so is the system that relies on human beings to sentence others to death.    As the 18th state to ban the death penalty, Maryland is at the forefront of a movement that I believe will eventually eliminate the use of this practice across the country.  Support for the repeal is increasing and expected to grow.  Already, many major religions such as the Catholic and Presbyterian Churches oppose its use.  Even law enforcement officers rank the death penalty as the least effective form of punishment.  I’m proud to live in a state where our progressive values continue to be enacted and urge you to support our elected officials who voted in favor of repealing Maryland’s death penalty.      Clarence Lam, MD, MPH Candidate for State Delegate Facebook  |  Twitter Click here to see how your state delegate or senator voted on this important issue.  To identify your elected officials, use this link.

Authority:  Friends of Clarence Lam  |  Melissa A. Tarkett, Treasurer