The right to life permits us to try and correct our mistakes. It allows us to see that people can change from bad to good, and that where there’s a will, there’s a way. In simple terms, it gives us a second chance.

Although it is said that all rights are equally important, I believe that this should be considered as the most important, and anyone who goes against it should be greatly punished.

We live in a time where people are no longer afraid of killing each other. This kind of behavior is not only abundant to people in general, but even those who are supposed to protect us have adapted to it, such as the police and doctors who finish off patients just for their own benefits.

Research shows that three in four young South Africans want the death penalty to be reinstated. They believe that the death penalty will not only teach people not to mess with the law, but it will also reduce crime.

But since no one except God gives life, no one has the right to take a life.

Then there’s a question of “what about those who’ve already taken a life, and even when they are in prison they still get to live a good life while the victims are dead?” or “what about those who walk free because there’s not enough evidence to prove that they are guilty?”
All these questions show the unfairness of the justice system, which leads people to thinking that an eye for an eye is always a better solution. This is because the system does not try hard enough to help the society, and sometimes some of them take bribes to destroy the evidence.

Criminals should pay for their crimes, but not with death. Murder committed by the state through the death penalty and murder committed by a criminal are the same thing, because in the end, someone loses their life. So government should come up with better ways to make people respect the right to life, and the death penalty should not be used in any country.

People kill for so many different reasons, such as self-defense, anger, or just to make sure that there are no witnesses for a certain crime. But no matter what the crime is, everyone deserves a second chance. A chance to apologise to their victims and to try and make peace with them, but they cannot do all these things if they’re dead. So by reinstating the death penalty, criminals will not only be denied the chance to change, but the victims of the crime will also be denied the chance to heal.