The Notre Dame Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has been a part of Notre Dame Law School for over fifteen years and is affiliated with the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The CADP seeks to educate the community about the social and economic harm caused by the death penalty and to enable lawyers and law students to work for an end to capital punishment. The ultimate goal of the Notre Dame CADP is to help stop the killing.
The CADP takes its mission from this quote: "The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary." (Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, MO, January 1999)The Coalition embraces all opposition to the death penalty, including religious, economic, philosophical and pragmatic positions.
Are you interested in joining us? Just email cadp@nd.edu and we will add you to our list.