The death penalty is by far the most controversial topic in today's society. However, there are many people who support the death penalty, but there are also many people who believe that the death penalty is wrong. The death penalty, or capital punishment, is the punishment of execution that is administered to someone who is legally convicted of a capital crime. Although opponents of the death penalty believe it is against human rights, capital punishment is appropriate with the support of the Fifth Amendment, is morally acceptable, and provides justice to victims and their families. First, the death penalty is morally acceptable. Americans have long supported the death penalty, with the majority saying they are in favor as majorities such as the government, the people, and the Bible support the death penalty because it is not wrong to punish someone for their crimes. The death penalty has been morally acceptable since biblical times. In Genesis 9:6, God supports the death penalty; “[who] sheds the blood of man, his blood shall be shed, for man was made in the image of God.” This passage, taken from the Bible, teaches that capital punishment is appropriate and that if a man kills another, the loss of his life is one of the greatest penalties one can pay. Although one in four of death penalty abolitionists who believe that no form of punishment should be acceptable argue that a sentence of life without parole satisfies that need (Kenny 28). However, Edward Koch, mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, believes that the argument made by opponents of the death penalty is "sophisticated nonsense" and that life imprisonment is actually a harsher punishment than the death penalty. According to the online site FindLaw , the Fifth Amendment indicates that “[n]o person shall be held to answer for a capital crime…, unless upon indictment of a Grand Jury… deprived of life. ..without legal process." This amendment clearly allows the death penalty to be imposed and establishes that it is not one of the "cruel and unusual punishments" prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. For example, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), it was shown that the death penalty is "a constitutionally permissible form of punishment under properly written law..." (Bergman 503). The case Gregg v. Georgia (1976) concerned a defendant named Gregg, who was sentenced to death after being found guilty of armed robbery and murder. This case demonstrated that capital punishment does not violate the Eighth Amendment when it contains information that allows the defendant to be sentenced to death. Since the Court's decision in Gregg (1976), the Fifth Amendment has placed limits on the use of the death penalty. Specifically, the Court ruled that the death penalty cannot be imposed for a crime of rape when the victim does not die, and if it were imposed it would constitute a disproportionate punishment, in violation of the Eighth Amendment (Bergman 505). The Court also ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish minors under the age of eighteen and those with mental disabilities..