He became famous for playing Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the popular 1970s television show M*A*S*H. He has been featured in Desperate Housewives and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. And he is currently performing in the New Theatre Restaurant’s production of “On Golden Pond” in Kansas City. But he is more than just an actor. He is a man on a mission. Mike Farrell is completely opposed to the death penalty.

Farrell spoke to religion teacher Bonnie Haghirian’s Catholic Social Justice Teaching classes about his views on the death penalty on March 5. Haghirian met Farrell when she went to a presentation he was speaking at put on by Missourians Against the Death Penalty. Haghirian said a particular line from Farrell’s presentation convinced her that he should speak to her classes.

“When he mentioned that the dignity of the human person was his guiding force, I realized that it fit right into Catholic Social Justice,” Haghirian said. “I went up and introduced myself and asked him to come give a presentation, and he said yes!”

Farrell started his presentation by mentioning the great need for social justice and an understanding of it. He emphasized his belief that every individual has a divine spark and a desire to reach for something higher and better. He said that this spark is the reason the death penalty should not exist.

“If you believe that every human has that “divine spark” how can they be disposable?” Farrell said.

Farrell went on to talk about how the death penalty is unfair because it primarily targets minorities and the poor. He also mentioned the many people who have been wrongly convicted, sentenced to death, and even killed. The presentation included the fact that it is more expensive to kill than to keep a criminal alive in jail. Farrell proposed some alternatives to the death penalty within his talk.

“Prisons should be places where mental illnesses are treated and people are given an opportunity to change their hearts,” Farrell said.

Haghirian said she believes the presentation made an impact on its listeners.

“It showed students that the dignity of the human person is threatened in so many ways, and threatened constantly by violence,” Haghirian said.

Sophomore Lexi Churchill, a student in Haghirian’s Catholic Social Justice Teaching class said the presentation was very interesting. She said the presentation made an impact on her, and helped her grasp the negative perspective of such a controversial issue.

“He opened up my eyes to a few new things relating to the death penalty such as racism and classism with those persecuted,” Churchill said. “It was one of those things that was right before my eyes, but I’d never quite realized.”