Washington: A broad coalition of Catholic organizations, pro-life conservatives, and civil rights advocates has launched a coordinated national campaign to abolish the death penalty amid an unprecedented uptick in executions across the United States in 2025.
The newly formed U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty (USCEPD) brings together more than 50 organizations with the shared goal of ending capital punishment at the state level, reducing new death sentences, and raising public awareness about systemic flaws in the justice system.
According to data compiled by the coalition, 44 executions have already taken place in 2025, with three more scheduled before the month ends. This marks a steep rise from the 25 executions recorded in 2024. Florida alone, which carried out just one execution in 2024, has already executed 17 individuals in 2025, highlighting a dramatic shift in state-level enforcement.
Despite these numbers, public backing for capital punishment continues to decline. A Gallup survey shows support has dropped to 52% the lowest in five decades, while opposition now stands at 44%. Death sentences issued by juries have also seen significant reductions.
The USCEPD aims to work with legislators from both major political parties to advance abolition bills, curb the use of capital punishment where it remains legal, and spotlight longstanding issues such as wrongful convictions, racially biased sentencing, and the harsher treatment of poor defendants.
Sister Helen Prejean, a prominent anti–death penalty advocate and member of the coalition’s advisory council, described executions as a “semi-secret ritual behind prison walls” during a Dec. 3 press briefing. She argued that lack of public awareness enables the practice to continue with little scrutiny.
Recalling her activism in Texas during the 2024 execution of Ivan Cantu, she said many residents “did not even know an execution was going on,” adding that once people understand the realities of capital punishment, “they will reject it.”
Among the major partners in the coalition are the Catholic Mobilizing Network, Amnesty International USA, the ACLU, The Innocence Project, and Conservatives Concerned—a group advocating for abolition from a conservative, pro-life standpoint.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, said the coalition represents “a growing momentum and renewed determination” to end a system that “fails to uphold the dignity of every human life.”
Demetrius Minor, head of Conservatives Concerned, noted increasing discomfort within conservative communities about supporting executions while also championing pro-life principles. He highlighted bipartisan cooperation in states like Virginia, as well as recent abolition efforts in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
So far, groups from 23 states have aligned themselves with the USCEPD, signaling what organizers describe as the most expansive anti–death penalty campaign in recent years. While capital punishment remains legal in 27 states, only 16 have carried out executions over the past decade, offering strategic opportunities for reform.
Coalition leaders say their mission is not only to eliminate capital punishment but also to confront the underlying inequities that allow it to persist.
“As long as innocent people can be condemned, as long as justice is unevenly applied, and as long as executions are hidden from public view, the system remains indefensible,” Sister Prejean said.
With executions surging and public opinion shifting, advocates believe the coming year could set the stage for significant changes in America’s longstanding approach to the death penalty.