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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Moratorium 2000 campaign?
Moratorium 2000 is a global effort to obtain a moratorium on the death penalty. In the United States, the effort is led by Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. We are gathering signatures from the United States on a petition calling for a suspension of executions. These signatures will be delivered to the United Nations on December 18, 2000. And the work won’t end there. State groups will also use the signatures in their local organizing and lobbying. We hope that by asking people to support a moratorium, we can enlist their help on a local level, and keep them involved in this movement.
What is a moratorium?
A moratorium on the death penalty would mean a suspension of executions, like a cease-fire in a war.. Governments would agree not to put any more prisoners to death. Recently, we have seen a surge in support of a moratorium, both on the state and national level. It is clear that many people, including politicians and community leaders, are beginning to rethink their support of the death penalty.
Much of this new attention has been focused on the fact that innocent men have been released from death row – particularly in Illinois, where Governor George Ryan instituted a moratorium when several innocent men were found on their death row. And other factors, like racism and incompetent lawyers, are making people think twice about their support of this system. A moratorium gives them a graceful way to take the first step towards opposing the death penalty.
What would happen during a moratorium?
Through a moratorium, there would be a halt in executions, so that all parties involved could study the system and really talk about the issue. "All parties involved" doesn't just mean the death row inmate and the lawmakers. All of society is affected by how we shape our justice system. We hope that a moratorium will be a step towards abolishing the death penalty.
Often, when a moratorium is proposed, it is to offer time to do some sort of study of the death penalty. Moratorium 2000 hopes that such studies will show that this is a broken system that can never be fixed. During a moratorium, we will strive to show people that we can live without the death penalty.
How do I sign the
petition?
You can sign the petition online
or you can print out a petition
sheet. You can also request
a petition sheet from the Moratorium 2000 office or call (504)
864-1071.
Which states are already considering a moratorium?
Legislatures in half of the 38 states with death penalty laws have considered or are now considering stopping executions with a moratorium – or abolishing the death penalty outright. They are: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Washington state. Grassroots moratorium organizing is also under way in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas.
Additionally, several bills in Congress would institute a moratorium on the federal death penalty.
Why take the Moratorium 2000 signatures to the United Nations?
This will be a symbolic way of showing that the United States people do not want to stand with Iran, Iraq, and China as one of the last countries to continue the death penalty. We will join with representatives from the European Moratorium 2000, who have gathered over 2 million signatures so far.
The U.S. delegation to the United Nations has been less than supportive of efforts to institute a worldwide moratorium of executions, and we hope these signatures will convince them to act.
How do we ask people to get involved with Moratorium 2000?
- Add their signature to the Moratorium 2000 petition.
- Post petition sheets in churches and synagogues, on campuses, and on bulletin boards.
- Gather signatures at rallies, concerts, workshops, and meetings.
- Include petition sheets in religious bulletins, group mailings, and workshop packets.
- Convince a public figure or a religious leader to endorse Moratorium 2000.
- Contact the Moratorium 2000 office to volunteer with the campaign.
- Send a tax-deductible financial contribution to Moratorium 2000.
This is a worldwide
effort. What other nations are involved?
Our strongest partners in this effort are Hands Off Cain of Italy and the Sant' Egidio Community. They have already gathered more than 2 million signatures to their moratorium petition.
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Moratorium
2000
P.O. Box 13727 New Orleans, LA 70185-3727 Tel: (504) 864 - 1071 Fax: (504) 864 - 1654 info@moratorium2000.org Copyright 2000 Moratorium 2000 privacy statement |