Jonathan Last writes, “Every time the government executes a prisoner, it hardens us that much more to the act of abortion, or embryonic stem-cell research, or to the every-day moments where mercy is needed.” I can see the attraction of the underlying moral position that Last asserts in his post. But I don’t know if I buy the claim about the death penalty’s effects on society. Hasn’t public opinion on abortion moved fairly independently of opinion on the death penalty? And if there’s a relationship, shouldn’t Europe be a lot more hospitable to pro-lifers than it is?