s a required punishment for murder. Criminals do deserve to be punished, and the severity of punishment should be appropriate to the harm they have caused the innocent. But the severity of punishment must have limits-limits enforced by both justice and our common human dignity (Barzilai). Although it may sound impossible, the right to live belongs to all members of society regardless of what crime one has committed. It is not the right of the government, nor the rights of any individual to inflict such cruel and hateful punishments onto another human being, for we are like them. There must be limits to the power that a government has, as well as the power of individuals in society. As sane people with a respect for human life and dignity, we must not turn into the barbarous murderer some of us fight to kill. According to Stephen Nathanson, we must set an example of the behavior we find acceptable in society. He goes on to say that "even though this person has done wrong and even though we may be angry, outraged, and indignant with him, we must control ourselves in a way that the criminal did not. We will not kill him" (137). We must not contradict the principle that murder is wrong, including the murder of a criminal. We must not kill, nor allow any government to hold the power to take a human life, no matter what the crime....
