Physicians and Execution — Highlights from a Discussion of Lethal Injection
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: On January 14, 2008, the Journal hosted a videotaped roundtable discussion of the issues raised by Baze v. Rees, currently before the Supreme Court, that asks whether the three-drug protocol used to carry out the death penalty by lethal injection causes unnecessary pain and suffering in violation of the Constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Moderator Atul Gawande was joined by law professor Deborah Denno, anesthesiologist–ethicist Robert Truog, and anesthesiologist David Waisel. What follows are highlights of their discussion about lethal injection, the current protocol, possible alternatives, and the role of physicians and other health care professionals in putting convicted criminals to death. The video, along with a related reader poll and an interactive timeline, can be found at www.nejm.org.The ProtocolDr. David Waisel: The three-drug protocol is based on what was considered a normal induction of anesthesia when it was developed. [The first drug is] thiopental, also known as sodium thiopental or pentothal, which is a barbiturate, which is designed to put you to sleep, create amnesia and anesthesia. Second comes pancuronium bromide, which is designed to paralyze the muscles. And the third drug, which is not a drug used in anesthesia, is potassium chloride, which is designed to rapidly stop the heart. The doses used are massive compared to the doses that would be used in a . . .
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
DOI: 10.1056/nejmp0800378
Language: English
Topic: Torture, Ethics, and Law
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2063193956