PFADP - April 14, 2005 – Media reports often describe executions today as civilized, peaceful and painless. A new medical journal report says nothing could be further from the truth.
The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, reports that in a significant number of cases, including those from North Carolina, condemned prisoners are likely conscious as lethal drugs stop their heart and lungs from functioning.
The article, authored by three U.S. anesthesiologists and one lawyer, suggests that some people may be awake and able to feel pain during the execution process, despite the administration of sodium thiopental, which is designed to render a person unconscious while two other drugs are given.
The authors studied toxicology reports from 49 executed inmates – seven in Arizona, eight in Georgia, 11 in North Carolina and 23 in South Carolina. They found that 43 out of the 49 inmates had post-mortem blood thiopental levels below that required for surgery. And 21 inmates had levels consistent with awareness.
"Thus," the authors concluded, "lethal injection anesthesia methodology is flawed and some inmates might have experienced awareness and suffering during execution."
"The lethal injection process was developed by the Nazis," said Stephen Dear, executive director of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty. "There's a section of the US Holocaust Museum devoted to it. It should be no surprise that medical researchers are finding that it amounts to torture of prisoners."
"Clearly, as this report concludes, we must immediately cease executions and initiate a thorough review of our death penalty system," Dear said. "This system is riddled with problems from the trials through the execution process itself."
In most states, lethal injection executions consist of administration of three drugs. First, sodium thiopental is administered to render the prisoner unconscious. Then, pancuronium bromide is administered to cause paralysis. Finally, potassium chloride is given to stop the heart, thus causing death.
"Without anesthesia," the authors write, "the condemned person would experience asphyxiation, a severe burning sensation, massive muscle cramping and finally cardiac arrest. Thus anesthesia is necessary both to mitigate the suffering of the condemned and to preserve public opinion that lethal injection is a near-painless death."
The article was written by Leonidas G. Koniaris, Teresa A. Zimmers and David A. Lubarsky of the University of Miami School of Medicine and Virginia attorney Jonathan P. Sheldon.
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See also: http://www.thelancet.com
The above news release provided by: People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, Carrboro, NC.