"An atheist may... say murder, rape, and eating babies are wrong; but when asked why, they will not have a final reason, or authority, to which they can appeal to”
Bullshit. Murder victims din’t want to be murdered, that’s why it’s called murder. Rape victims don’t want to be raped, that’s why it’s called rape. As for people who deserve to be murdered or raped… namely murderers and rapists… murdering and raping them is still wrong because it degrades the person doing it, making them themselves into a murderer or rapist, and simply allowing it to happen (as in prison) is also wrong, because it degrades what ought to be a responsible position (as in cop, prison guard, state etc).
It’s a pity that that simple explanation is too much for some people’s tiny brains and they have to fall back on their religion for basic morality.