Lethal injection
Lethal injection is a method of capital punishment primarily used in the United States and several other countries. It involves administering a sequence of chemicals designed to induce death swiftly and painlessly. The method gained popularity in the late 20th century, with its first use in Texas in 1982, as a more humane alternative to other execution methods such as the electric chair, which could be traumatic for witnesses. The process typically involves three drugs: a barbiturate to induce unconsciousness, a paralytic agent to prevent involuntary movements, and potassium chloride to stop the heart.
Despite intentions for a humane execution, lethal injection has faced significant criticism, particularly concerning instances of botched executions that may cause severe pain, which some argue constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The availability of the necessary chemicals has also become problematic, with shortages prompting states to consider alternative drugs, raising concerns about their efficacy and the potential for painful outcomes. The legal and ethical debates surrounding lethal injection continue to evoke strong opinions, with ongoing discussions about the morality of the death penalty itself.
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is a method of execution used in the United States and several other countries. It involves injecting a condemned prisoner with a set of chemicals designed to cause a swift and painless death. Lethal injection is opposed by groups who argue that painful botched executions constitute cruel and unusual punishment. In many states, obtaining the chemicals required to perform lethal injection has become difficult.
Background
Lethal injection was first proposed in the nineteenth century as an alternative to hanging. Death by hanging was often slow and painful. Experts at the time believed that chemicals might provide a more humane execution technique. However, officials decided against the idea. At the time, the hypodermic needle was a new innovation. Doctors worried that if the hypodermic needle was used for executions, the public would come to associate it with death.
The subject was revisited in the late 1970s, when a doctor suggested that inmates condemned to death could be executed by use of carefully administered drugs. At the time, one of the most common methods of execution was the electric chair. Inmates executed via the electric chair often screamed and thrashed, making the experience traumatic for those legally required to witness executions. For this reason, the proposal was praised by executioners.
The proposal specified that three drugs would be administered in a specific order. The first drug, a barbiturate, would be used to ensure that the inmate felt no pain. The second drug, pancuronium bromide, would paralyze the inmate. Lastly, potassium chloride would be used to stop the heart. Lethal injection was quickly adopted by several states and was first used by Texas in 1982. Soon afterward, lethal injection became the primary method for executing prisoners throughout the United States.
Overview
Lethal injection is the primary method of executing those condemned to death in twenty-eight of the twenty-nine US states where executions are legal. In 2024, a small number of states still allowed a prisoner to request death by hanging, the electric chair, or firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection. These alternative forms have the potential to cause extreme pain during death, which many believe constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, thereby making them unconstitutional penalties. If lethal injection is carried out properly, however, the executed person should expire in his or her sleep.
The protocol for lethal injection in most states begins with inserting an intravenous drip into each arm of the condemned person. These intravenous drips are used to reliably deliver drugs to the person's bloodstream. Following that, a large dose of sodium thiopental is delivered to the prisoner. Sodium thiopental is a barbiturate, a powerful sedative. While it does not numb the prisoner, it should push him or her into a deep, dreamless sleep. Next, the intravenous drip is flushed with saline. Saline serves the dual purpose of pushing the sodium thiopental deeper into the blood stream and sterilizing the intravenous drip. After the flush, a dose of pancuronium bromide is administered. Pancuronium bromide interferes with the body's nerve endings, blocking messages from the brain to the muscles. This completely paralyzes the inmate's body. The muscles that control the diaphragm are also paralyzed by pancuronium bromide, which will eventually lead to death by asphyxiation.
Following the second injection, another saline flush is conducted. The third injection, potassium chloride, is then administered. Potassium chloride specifically interferes with the function of heart muscles. When given in a large enough dose, it will quickly stop heart function. In most cases, this entire process takes fewer than ten minutes.
While standard doses vary from state to state, each drug is usually administered in large enough quantities to end the inmate's life. If one drug is administered incorrectly or given in too small a dose, the other drugs should function properly on their own. However, problems arise when the sedative functions incorrectly. Several activist groups have protested lethal injection, arguing that the intense pain caused by pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride is strong enough to jolt inmates awake. Because the inmate is paralyzed by the pancuronium bromide, he or she is unable to easily express any feelings of pain. Witnesses to these botched executions have reported inmates' eyes opening, their mouths gasping for air, and occasionally, their speaking about the pain they feel.
Many states that utilize lethal injection are experiencing severe shortages of the drugs needed to perform executions. Hospira, the only company in the United States authorized to produce sodium thiopental, has ceased manufacturing the drug due to moral concerns about its use in lethal injections. Making matters more difficult, no European company that produces the drug will sell it to the United States if it will be used for executions. The European Union has banned capital punishment and refuses to take part in the practice. This has forced many states to experiment with other, less-proven sedatives.
Some activists believe that these sedatives fail to function as well as sodium thiopental and have increased the incidence of painful, botched executions. These sentiments culminated in the 2015 Supreme Court case Glossip et al. v. Gross et al. Oklahoma inmates had sued the government, claiming that the pain inherent in a botched lethal injection constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. From their point of view, this made lethal injections unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in favor of the state, upholding the use of lethal injection. While the liberal justices, including Stephen Breyer, believed that the death penalty probably violated the Constitution, the conservative justices argued that the issue should be decided by individual states rather than the federal government. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion for the case, argued that the inmates' case failed because they could not identify an alternative method of execution that would carry a lesser risk of pain.
Bibliography
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