Death Penalty in Kansas: Since 1965 Zero Murderers Executed vs. Since 1973 – 300,000 Unborn Babies Executed

Well, this is a most unpleasant column to write: The Kansas Death Penalty: Convicted Heinous Murderers and Innocent Babies.

In the August 7^th Leaven https://theleaven.org/death-penalty-has-no-place-in-modern-justice/ Archbishop McKnight declared the death penalty for heinous murderers in Kansas a moral crisis. Archbishop McKnight mentions the word abortion in his commentary once, just once.  No pontification of the horrors of ripping a baby from their mother’s womb and no admittance of his grave sin of omission (backed by 2271, 2272 and 2273 of the Catholic Catechism) when he did not support the Constitutional Amendment for the direct election of our State Supreme Court Justices.

My opinion that to protect the LIFE of the unborn hinged on the passage of this Constitutional Amendment is in line with Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann’s article in the July 7, 2026 National Catholic Register.  In this article Archbishop Naumann reflected on the horribly flawed system Kansas uses to select our State Supreme Court. The current system gives the Kansas Bar Association total control of our court. Yet Archbishop Shawn McKnight tossed his predecessor’s opinion and devotion to LIFE aside and remained “neutral” which in fact aligned him with Planned Parenthood.  Luke 11:23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” That verse pretty much sums up this mess.

Here is an excerpt from our Archbishop Emeritus’ commentary, “One of the worst consequences of the current judicial selection method was the Kansas Supreme Court decision that the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights, proclaiming “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” granted a right to unlimited abortion. This absurd interpretation is but one example of the state’s highest court abusing its power by creating legislation.

In March 2025, after decades of effort, the Kansas Legislature succeeded in placing on the Aug. 4 ballot an alternative to this deeply flawed system by restoring to Kansans the right to directly elect justices for our state Supreme Court.

Not surprisingly, trial lawyers’ groups have linked arms with Planned Parenthood, the abortion lobby, and gay-rights and gender-rights advocates, and have spent large sums of money to inundate mailboxes, television, computer screens, radio ads and social media with frantic messages urging Kansans to continue the current system.

I encourage Catholics, fellow Christians, all people of faith and people of goodwill to pray for wisdom and prudence in casting their votes. As the retired archbishop of Kansas City, I do not speak for the archdiocese. But as a registered Kansas voter, I will be voting to restore to Kansans the ability to choose the justices who serve on the Kansas Supreme Court.”

Then to add insult to injury, Archbishop McKnight, three days after he chose to stand silent and actively muzzled parish priests from promoting a YES vote on the August 4th Constitutional Amendment, launched a full commentary in The Leaven on the moral necessity for Kansas to rescind the death penalty. Wow!!

So, this required me to take a deep dive into the dark, dark world of the 9 murderers now on death row in Kansas. I’ll let you read this from the Wichita Eagle. https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article316075490.html

And this one from the Lawrence Journal-World in 2016 is even more startling in its reporting.

https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/jun/11/lives-10-kansas-inmates-death-row-quiet-solitary/

You tell me, does rescinding the death penalty to protect those convicted of heinous murders, currently 9 individuals on death row with no executions since 1965, supersede the moral crisis of 300,000 innocent babies massacred in Kansas since 1973 in the name of CHOICE?

Archbishop McKnight, you’re goin’ to have a lot of “splaning” to do when you meet God at His Pearly Gates.

God Bless and Keep Your Eyes on Jesus!!

Charlotte O’Hara