When Iowa Representative Bill Bernau saw a woman with her infant at Friday’s Valentine’s Day Rally Against the Death Penalty, he cited them as an example of why Iowa should not bring back the death penalty.

Bernau, D-Ames, said Iowans must work to prevent legislation for the death penalty in order to prevent future generations from bearing the burden of capital punishment.

The Iowa Legislature is considering reinstating the death penalty.

Bernau said even if the death penalty is not reinstated this term, the fight has a long way to go. With a 70 percent statewide approval rating, Bernau said Iowans must continue to fight to keep the death penalty off the books.

About 50 people attended the rally.

Rob Ruminski, a sophomore in history and a GSB vice presidential candidate, spoke about the plight of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man who is facing the death penalty in a Philadelphia prison for killing a police officer who was beating his brother.

“I think that the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal not only illustrates the perpetual fallibility of certain aspects of our judicial system and the racism inherent in the application of the death penalty,” he said.

Wayne Osborn, a professor of history, talked about how “government-sanctioned murder” kills more people than some wars, and that the United States is one of the few first-world countries that still uses the death penalty.