All in how you look at things...

An interesting post by Digby over at Hullabaloo about the consistency between being anti-death-penalty and pro-choice. The "life"-focused people (like the Catholic church) like to say that both abortion and the DP are issues of protecting or disregarding human life. But Digby does a good job (via excerpts from other folks too) of capturing my sense that the linkage for many progressives is one of the individual's rights versus the mechanisms of government.

The question of abortion, like that of execution, can be put in practical terms: How confident are you of the state's ability to comprehend and resolve the morality of each individual case? If you have misgivings about both the death penalty and broad restrictions on abortion, are you inconsistent in your respect for life? Or are you consistent in your respect for life's complexity? At its core, this perspective isn't about saving lives or fighting for women's freedom. It's about the limits of our ability to apply rigid principles. It's about humility.

(The pullquote is actually from William Saletan)
I recommend the whole piece.