I was supposed to celebrate to drink and revel in my victory. I was supposed to wake the next morning jubilant. I did neither.
I had just spearheaded the death penalty abolition bill’s first passage, in the House of Representatives.
As big a proponent of abolition of the death penalty as I am, I was happy. But upon awakening, away from the congratulations, as I opened my eyes and sat on the edge of my bed thoughts about people like Dr. William Petit and how they might feel filled my head and the truth is I did not want to smile or dance or drink or revel.
The reality is that we had taken a step the night before that I believe to be absolutely the right one. As much as I believe that, still, my own words during the debate about context resonated with me in a way that I had not expected.
In the end this was not a decision about Dr. Petit on the one side as a family member of murder victims or the family members on the other side, my side, whose names we have forgotten. In the end they are both not wrong in the opinions they hold.
In the end this came down to whether outside of the individual circumstances of those on either side this was the right thing to do. It was. But context matters and as right as it was as many letters of support I have gotten as many families of victims as agree with me there are some (who I contend we cannot make law for as their individual circumstances may inform but should not determine public policy) who don’t agree.
And so we continue and it is difficult but if we are really trying to do what is right maybe it should be so.