USA - Kansas. Kansas Federation of College Republicans Urges Repeal of Death Penalty.

Kansas Federation of College Republicans Urges Repeal of Death Penalty. The Kansas Federation of College Republicans unanimously adopted a resolution calling for repeal of the death penalty in their state. “More young conservatives like myself recognize that our broken and fallible system of capital punishment in no way matches up with our conservative values,” said Dalton Glasscock, a Wichita State University student and chairman of the federation. Citing pro-life views and fiscal responsibility, the group urged Kansas legislators to repeal the state's death penalty. "I am pro-life, from conception to natural death," said Glasscock, who also cited the "the fiscal cost" of capital punishment. "But it's not just about life -- it's about the inherent distrust of the government that's common in my generation." Eric Pahls, president of Kansas University College Republicans, said, "I think if, as Republicans, we call ourselves pro-life, that is from birth through natural death, not from birth until we decide your life is less important or less valuable." Glasscock and Pahls think there is a generational shift in views about the death penalty among young Republicans. A recent Pew Research Center poll indicated that death penalty support is weakest among younger Americans, among whom it has dropped by 8 percentage points since 2011. The federation joins the Republican Liberty Caucus of Kansas, who last year announced support for repeal of capital punishment. The Kansas Republican Party has dropped death penalty support from its platform, and now takes a neutral stance on the issue. Kansas has not carried out any executions since it reinstated the death penalty in 1994.