For the first time in over 200 years, Tennessee is preparing to execute a woman, drawing nationwide attention and reigniting

debate about capital punishment. The case involves Christa Gail Pike, now 49, who has spent nearly three decades on death row.

Convicted in 1996 for a crime committed at just 18, Pike became the youngest woman in the U.S. sentenced to death at the time. Since then,

she has remained Tennessee’s only female death row inmate and a central figure in ongoing debates about justice, youth, and sentencing.

Her execution is scheduled for September 30, 2026, at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. If carried out,

she would be the 19th woman executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Supporters argue that her punishment

reflects accountability, while critics emphasize her young age, abusive upbringing, and untreated mental health issues as reasons for clemency.

Her lawyers are still appealing, urging that her sentence be reduced to life without parole. Whether or not those appeals succeed, Pike’s case has reignited

one of America’s most divisive debates: should the death penalty remain part of modern justice, especially for offenders sentenced so young?