A number of 1,263 men and women have been executed in the United States in the twenty-five years since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Executions have been carried out in 34 states with the death penalty, of which over 80% occur in the South. Texas and Virginia are the two states with the highest number of capital executions, with a shared number of 580 people executed. The death penalty is a controversial issue that has been debated for years. Supporters of the death penalty say it is better to deliver justice, avoiding retaliation or "an eye for an eye", to settle accounts with the families of murder victims. They also argue that it is a form of crime deterrent. In contrast, opponents of the death penalty argue that this form of punishment does not deter crime. Supporters of the death penalty argue that it is morally wrong and that it only gives the government the power to take human life. This side also argues that the system, due to its flaws, runs the risk of executing innocent people. The death penalty should be outlawed because it is unjust and an inappropriate sanction, while life imprisonment is clearly a better alternative. First, the death penalty should be abolished because it is morally unacceptable. No one has the right to take another life, God created life so that only he could take it. The immoral practice of taking someone's life is like taking all human life. In “The death penalty violates human rights” published in The ethics of capital punishment. The article discusses the flaws of the death penalty. The piece also references Amnesty International, an activist organization that seeks to protect human rights around the world. According to Amnesty International, “Every human being enjoys certain fundamental human rights, the most fundamental of… middle of paper… vices, June 29, 2009. Web. July 29, 2011. “The death penalty violates human rights. " The ethics of capital punishment. Ed. Cristina Watkins. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. In question. Gale Opposing views in context. Network. July 29, 2011.http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010313224&userGroupName= viva2_v ccs&jsid =cb6ca64ccb087e012f" Executed but perhaps innocent." Death Penalty Information Center. John R. MacArthur. Network. 01 August 2011. "The facts about the death penalty." DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER. John R. MacArthur. Network. July 30 2011. .