The people who care about executions being humane are generally opposed to the death penalty. People who support the death penalty generally want suffering to be inherent to the process. Only limit is whatever the Supreme Court deems “unusual”. Cruelty is allowed by the Constitution as long as it is “usual” cruelty.
In states that have death penalty (and federal when we have a president who supports death penalty), it’s the pro-death penalty groups - the ones that want it to cause suffering - that get to pick the process.
The people who are educated to do it properly are doctors, who refuse to do it against the will of the patient.
So those who do lethal injections for the death penalty don’t have the necessary education.
And the type of people who choose this job likely enjoy it when making people suffer, so they don’t even try to minimize it.
Can confirm, my country has doctor assisted suicide (as in, they hand it to you to swallow, or you or someone you appointed picks it up from the pharmacy), and it’s very reliable and painless.
“there are significant differences between the way pets are euthanised and the way lethal injections are administered.
First of all, the typical three drug “cocktail” used in lethal injection is actually illegal to use on animals in most of the states that use it for executions because it is considered too inhumane. Almost all euthanasia by injection in the US is an overdose of barbiturate (sodium pentobarbital), which was originally used as an anesthetic agent. The animal being euthanised slips into unconsciousness very quickly, then the heart stops shortly thereafter. In humans, the 3 drug cocktail consists of some type of sedative followed by pancuronium (a curare derivative that causes paralysis but neither unconsciousness nor pain control) and finally a dose of potassium chloride to stop the heart.
Outlawing the use of barbiturates for lethal injection was a political decision made in the 1970s by politicians who did not want to be accused of treating human beings like animals. Disapproval of the use of curare derivatives for surgery or euthanasia in animals started in the late 1800s. But goodness, no one wants to be accused of treating a human being like an animal!”
Other reasons cited was that the human version is not produced on a mass or routine basis since demand is so low and the drugs can be old and may have lost potency…
I don’t know - just grab the horse version when it’s my time and send in the vet!
While it may not seem too bad on the surface, there is relatively high failure rate of 7.12%, which is pretty alarming as most of them were doses (of any of the drugs) that weren’t high enough. (Some may even have been intentional)
I am going to say there is probably a reason why we decided this kind of stuff should be a careful balance of just enough chems to kill you rather then a bottle of “overkill”
It’s weird that we can do this for animals, but lethal injections for people are often painful and inherently unreliable.
The people who care about executions being humane are generally opposed to the death penalty. People who support the death penalty generally want suffering to be inherent to the process. Only limit is whatever the Supreme Court deems “unusual”. Cruelty is allowed by the Constitution as long as it is “usual” cruelty.
In states that have death penalty (and federal when we have a president who supports death penalty), it’s the pro-death penalty groups - the ones that want it to cause suffering - that get to pick the process.
It is absolutely possible to give a lethal injection without pain, eg in the case of euthanasia where it is allowed.
The people who are educated to do it properly are doctors, who refuse to do it against the will of the patient.
So those who do lethal injections for the death penalty don’t have the necessary education.
And the type of people who choose this job likely enjoy it when making people suffer, so they don’t even try to minimize it.
Can confirm, my country has doctor assisted suicide (as in, they hand it to you to swallow, or you or someone you appointed picks it up from the pharmacy), and it’s very reliable and painless.
Up here in Canada a dr administered some sort of solution in a needle. Did it with my father.
Some half assed googling yielded this…
“there are significant differences between the way pets are euthanised and the way lethal injections are administered.
First of all, the typical three drug “cocktail” used in lethal injection is actually illegal to use on animals in most of the states that use it for executions because it is considered too inhumane. Almost all euthanasia by injection in the US is an overdose of barbiturate (sodium pentobarbital), which was originally used as an anesthetic agent. The animal being euthanised slips into unconsciousness very quickly, then the heart stops shortly thereafter. In humans, the 3 drug cocktail consists of some type of sedative followed by pancuronium (a curare derivative that causes paralysis but neither unconsciousness nor pain control) and finally a dose of potassium chloride to stop the heart.
Outlawing the use of barbiturates for lethal injection was a political decision made in the 1970s by politicians who did not want to be accused of treating human beings like animals. Disapproval of the use of curare derivatives for surgery or euthanasia in animals started in the late 1800s. But goodness, no one wants to be accused of treating a human being like an animal!”
Other reasons cited was that the human version is not produced on a mass or routine basis since demand is so low and the drugs can be old and may have lost potency…
I don’t know - just grab the horse version when it’s my time and send in the vet!
Here’s a quick video to add, giving the reasons for the 3 drugs. https://youtu.be/aP7rP6_OxKI
While it may not seem too bad on the surface, there is relatively high failure rate of 7.12%, which is pretty alarming as most of them were doses (of any of the drugs) that weren’t high enough. (Some may even have been intentional)
I don’t know shit about this, but my guess is because we are bigger than dogs (for example). I might be wrong though.
I am going to say there is probably a reason why we decided this kind of stuff should be a careful balance of just enough chems to kill you rather then a bottle of “overkill”