从生命权角度看死刑存废之争

从刑罚学的角度而言 ,当代的死刑存废之争仍未超越报应主义和功利主义两种古典刑罚理论 ;而除极少数人外 ,不管是赞成死刑保留的一方还是支持废除死刑的一方 ,功利论都是他们提出主张的一个根本基础。生命权是最基本和最重要的一项权利 ,而以功利主义为基础的死刑存废之争 ,因为把人权当作相对的和可以为了更大利益而牺牲的东西 ,最后的结果往往是取消生命权的意义。因此 ,如果我们从生命权的角度来看待这一争论 ,则死刑毫无疑问是对人权的侵犯 ,只不过它带有“合法”这样的一个面纱而已。我们应为生命权概念寻找坚实的基础 ,以便为死刑存废之争找到出路。

From the perspective of penology, the debate over the abolition of the death penalty has never transcended the theories of retributionism and utilitarianism. With only a very few exceptions, utilitarianism is the most important theoretical foundation for both the retentionist and the abolitionist arguments. The right to life is the most fundamental and important right. The debate over the abolition of the death penalty based on utilitarianism often results in the negation of the right to life because utilitarianism treats human rights as something relative and something that can be sacrificed for a greater utility. From the perspective of the right to life, the death penalty is undoubtedly a violation of human rights, only it is covered by a veil of legitimacy. We should seek a solid foundation for the concept of the right to life, so as to find a way out of the current debate over the abolition of the death penalty.