well bronk, my answer would be 'yes, killing an insect and killing a human is the same crime'.
it appears that what youre saying is niether of them is a crime, but you fear the punishment of one more than the other therefore justify the murder of one spieces and forbid the murder of another not through high and refined morals, but through fear of recriminations and in the interest of self preservation.
i dont think thats what you meant, but it does kind of look like that.
are you saying that to murder a lifeform and risk potentially life destroying punishment takes 'sack', whereas murdering a defenceless lifeform with no risk of punishment doesnt.
if you ask me, ending the life of any creature is the same crime, and no matter the punishment of any certain society, the action is indentical no matter what life you end.
funny thing is, a person who crushed an insect would not offend me a great deal, a person who murdered my fellow human would disgust me in most cases.
its a double sided sword, and one that can never be truly explained or justified by this current breed of 'great thinking' lifeforms.
to steal a muffin from the school canteen, and to steal £1m from a bank is the same crime.
fact is, a young boy who steals a muffin from his prison wardens does not offend me at all, where as a man who steals something vastly more valuable might make me question his morals.
stealing is stealing all accross the board.
murder of any lifeform is murder right accross the board.
there are however, varying degrees of stealing and murder that the individual will find acceptable or not in each different mind.