For years, Congressional repeal of the federal death penalty was thought politically impossible. But in January 2021, lawmakers introduced The Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R. 262/S. 582) which would abolish the capital punishment at the federal level.
Now over a year since its introduction, national decision makers from both sides of the aisle need to hear that ending the federal death penalty is still a top priority for Catholics and people of good will. H.R. 262/S. 582 will need strong bipartisan support in order to pass.
Will you contact your members of Congress and ask them where they stand on this important abolition legislation?
Step 1: Look Up Your Members of Congress
Get the name, phone number, and other important contact details for your U.S. representative and senators.
Step 2: Contact Your Members
Call or email your members of Congress to find out their position on federal death penalty abolition and encourage them to support The Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act.
NOTE: When contacting your representative, please specify bill number H.R. 262. When contacting one of your senators, please specify bill number S. 582.
Sample Call Script:
“My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME]. I am calling to share with you that I want to see Congress take strong action towards ending the federal death penalty. Will [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME] support the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R. 262/S. 582)?”
Sample Email Script:
Dear Senator/Representative,
My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME]. I am writing to share with you that I want to see Congress take strong action towards ending the federal death penalty. Is [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME] supportive of the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R. 262/S. 582)?
My Catholic faith teaches me that every life has inherent dignity and worth, including the lives of those who have caused or suffered grave harm. The federal death penalty is a broken system that is racially biased. It also targets vulnerable populations such as those in poverty and individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The federal death penalty is also applied in a geographically arbitrary manner and is simply out of step with declining rates of executions and death sentences found nationwide on the state level.
As a constituent, it is important to me that I know where [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME] stands on this issue of life and death. Does [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR NAME] support the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R. 262/S. 582)?
Step 3: Report Back to CMN!
Complete the form below to share with CMN what you learned from contacting your members of Congress about about the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R. 262/S. 582). This information will be vital in advancing CMN’s abolition work at the federal level.
