Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia with a democratic affiliation, signed a bill on Wednesday which effectively abolished the death penalty in the southern state, making it the first in the US from the region. 

The governor stated that the landmark move, approved by the state’s lawmakers, was the “moral thing to do”, reported AFP. 

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Virginia, which became the 23rd state in the US to take the much-awaited step, has successfully conducted around 1,400 capital punishments, since the 1600s,  making it the leading state. 

The bill was given the final approval of the governor in the Greensville Correctional Center located in Jarrat, Virginia, where the execution center of the state was established. 

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The governor said, “Signing this new law is the right thing to do. It is the moral thing to do to end the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia’s history — we have much to be proud of — but not the history of capital punishment,” in an attempt to highlight the urgency and importance of the action, reported AFP.