Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowbob
So getting the juice for surgery doesn't seem to be unpleasant for most people. This brings to me a question. Apparently there is a big controversy over lethal injections being cruel and unusual punishment. Not to confuse the appropriateness of death sentences, I'm asking about the method.
Is the controversy over the kinds of chemicals used? Is it reasonable that some lethal injections are cruel?
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We're perfectly capable of doing lethal injection humanely. We do it with animals (veterinary euthanasia) all the time. The only issue that is of concern is that the agent typically used (phenobarbital) can create a "burning" sensation before it takes hold and renders the recipient unconscious and before it stops the heart. A lot of vets use a mild sedative first to help alleviate this and / or mix the phenobarbital with xylocaine / lidocaine or a similar drug to help things go easier and make it less unpleasant for both the animal and the owner.
Most of the frenzy about "inhumane" lethal injections are blown way out of proportion by grandstanding lawyers being paid to do so. The facts (when you research it a bit) are that we have the capability to euthanize people or animals humanely, painlessly and with an almost 100% guaranteed success rate - until the legal system gets hold of it and makes a clusterfk out of it. Medically it's a pretty straightforward and simple procedure.
I've been told that execution by firing squad is actually relatively painless if done correctly. The BP crashes and the person goes almost instantly unconscious before bleeding out afterwards. It's messy though (obviously). Same with the guillotine - actually invented to provide a painless, dignified method of execution for French aristocrats.
Given how brutal most convicted killers on death row are and how merciless they were to their victims, I'm not too terribly concerned myself with a brief instant of momentary discomfort during execution. Sad that we make such a big deal about it (thanks once again to lawyers convoluting the entire thing)