Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Missouri execution protocol

CBS and the Associated Press were both reporting last Friday that the same anesthetic that caused the overdose death of pop star Michael Jackson is now the drug of choice for executions in the state of Missouri, after the Missouri Department of Corrections' announcing last week it was switching from its longstanding three-drug method of execution to the use of a single drug, Propofol. Missouri would be the first state ever to use propofol as an execution drug. The decision, however, is causing a stir among critics who question how the state can guarantee a drug untested for lethal injection won't cause pain and suffering for the condemned.

The AP reported that it wasn't clear when propofol would first be used, as no executions are currently scheduled in the state despite Attorney General Chris Koster's request last week that the Missouri Supreme Court set execution dates for up to 19 condemned men whose appeals have run out; and litigation over the new protocol is possible, attorneys for death row inmates having said they were still gathering information on the new process and that no decision had been made as to whether to seek an injunction.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is time that Missouri starts the executions to carry out what the courts have imposed on murderers in our state. It is also time society shows the same compassion for the victims as they do for the murderers. I wish the victims could have died so easy.