Anyone see tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy?

I’ll try not to spoil it for those of you who didn’t see it (awesome episode BTW, one of their best I thought). Meredith is asked by a death row prisoner to attend his execution. “It would be nice to have a friendly face in the crowd.” he says.

I think if a prisoner asked me to do that I would go. As Helen Prejean has often said of the prisoners she has seen executed, “I will be the face of Jesus for you.”

I also wouldn’t go to an execution of someone who victimized me or my family I think. I would also do what I could to show him or her compassion. In other words, I don’t think I’d seek revenge in any instance where I or my family or friends had been victimized.

With regards to capital punishment a good friend explained how he felt about this to a death penalty supporter very simply:

“I think if someone killed my mother I have no doubt that I’d want to kill him. I also think because of that instinct the government should stop me from doing it.”

What would you do?