Tag: Machaela Cavanaugh

It's an issue that ought to be deeply personal, and it is. For many people it is faith-guided or faith-based. It's an issue that really shouldn't be used as a partisan political instrument, but it is. Everything is today. Julie Slama, Megan Hunt and Machaela Cavanaugh were among the first to speak. But there's a difference if it's innocent life, several senators responded, a stark difference between death because of abortion and the execution of a convicted killer. Three Republicans who formerly were members of the Legislature were "kicked out" because they voted to repeal the death penalty, Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said, listing them as former Sens. Jerry Johnson, Les Seiler and Al Davis, each of whom was politically targeted and failed to win re-election. In the end, the vote to advance Chambers' bill to eliminate the death penalty failed on a 17-25 vote. Eight of the 14 women in the Legislature voted for repeal; 26 of 35 men voted to retain the death penalty.