To kill or not to kill?

This isn't a new topic by any means, but it's one that's often overlooked.

Abortion is an issue that is wholeheartedly condemned by the Catholic Church and the Republican Party. Being raised a Catholic, I grew up being told that Democrats were immoral because they supported abortion and if I were to vote for one, I would be condemned to hell.

Alright, I never heard that last comment — even when I went to school at St. Therese — but I was told it was frowned upon for me to support a group who supported abortion, despite what else they have to say. This meant I was supposed to vote Republican when I turned of age.

(I've since declared myself an independent and taken into account how candidates and issues best help me rather than siding with a political party and pigeonholing my options)

But I've always wondered why there wasn't a similar outrage with the death penalty. I mean, if the church believes that babies are alive at conception and having an abortion meant killing a person, then why the double standard on killing a convicted criminal?

Who are we to decide if someone lives or dies? The bible does say, "Judge not lest ye be judged."

I know the church's official stance is killing only those who pose a threat to the greater populace if they are alive. And if they don't, lesser means should be applied.

The Republican Party takes the same stance on these two issues. The Dems used to be pro-death penalty back in the day, but they seem to have backed off that stance over the past decade.

So explain to me, why this hypocrisy? Why is it justifiable to take the life of a grown person and not of a fetus?