Death penalty justified for killers: #tellusatoday

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the use of a controversial lethal injection method in executions. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Personally, I am opposed to the death penalty. A case can be made for it morally, but there have been just too many mistakes caused by human error.

That being said, how come I can go in for surgery and be put to sleep easily and painlessly, but we can't put these people to sleep the same way?

— Andy Hapka

The death penalty is a deterrent to crime. People being executed when they did not commit the crime is an extremely rare scenario.

— Larry Hubble

The execution of even one innocent person for a crime he or she didn't commit is murder. We know that courts and juries do make mistakes and condemn people for murders they did not commit. If you value life, are you willing to be party to murder?

— Milo Bendech

It is surprising to me that we even debate the death penalty. I am totally for it. I cannot understand why we have to make it "comfortable" for the person being put to death.

A murderer can commit such heinous crimes in some of the most morbid ways possible, and we worry whether he or she is going to feel anything? I think they should feel exactly what they did to the people they killed.

— Harold Filliez

Bullet in the head and get it over with, or ban executions completely.

Anyone wanting to see a person in pain for a long time, until the individual dies, is the same as these criminals.

— Oliver Cukor

After this ruling, we just need to speed up the execution process so that it is carried out in less than six months after sentencing. That would put us back on the road to establishing justice in the land.

— Vic Edwards

We asked our Twitter followers for thoughts about the court upholding lethal injections used to carry out the death penalty. Comments are edited for clarity and grammar:

It was the right decision. The injection method is controversial only due to activist-created obstacles.

— @brainfertilizer

Lethal injection seems the only humane way for execution. But there is a chance of human error or malfunction.

— @halfamillennial

The firing squad deserves a second look.

— @Jrock41S

The death penalty is a necessary evil. Those committing murder had no mercy on their victims.

— @UNSPEAKABLETRTH

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion and #tellusatoday on Twitter.