Abortion is actually a different case, I think; that comes down to incompatible axioms. Two people can both believe 100% sincerely that killing people is wrong,

Abortion is actually a different case, I think; that comes down to incompatible axioms. Two people can both believe 100% sincerely that killing people is wrong, but if one of them considers a foetus to be a person and the other doesn't, they aren't going to agree on abortion. > We can give up on them. We give up quicker on lots of people in society, why not someone who is a mass murderer? Yeah, I know. Ultimately I think my unease here is a kind of slippery-slope argument, and deserves to be taken with the same generous pinch of salt as any other slippery-slope argument. I suspect that much of the opposition to capital (and corporal) punishment has to do with how strong and visceral a mental impression it makes on those witnessing or even thinking about it. Conversely, I'm sure we underestimate the soul-destroying misery of long-term incarceration, because it doesn't offend our sensibilities as much. Same goes for many of the other people we give up on, which goes back to your point. In any case, thanks for the thoughtful replies. Being able to have a reasonable discussion on an emotive topic with someone holding different views is always a breath of fresh air.