give clear witness to the value and dignity of every person's life. the outcry comes a day after kelly gissendaner became the first woman in 70 years to be executed in georgia. her children failed in their crusade for clemency. >> so we chose to try and save her life. and they still denied us. >> reporter: more than 50% of americans favor the death penalty, but that is a 40-year low. >> the number of executions has been falling every year for almost 20 years. and we are headed for a historic low in executions this year regardless of what happens in the next couple of days. >> reporter: the supreme court also appears divided. justice alito said contentious arguments over a lethal injection drug were a veiled attack against the death penalty. >> let's be honest what's happening here. is it important to the judiciary to countenance what amounts to a guerilla war against the death