Morales' Execution Draws Criticism From Medical Community
Written for the web by Nicole Chavez, Reporter
A federal appeals judge ordered the state to provide anesthesiologists to monitor the scheduled execution of Michael Morales. Some physicians are calling their involvement unethical.
The two anesthesiologists will make sure Morales is fully unconscious before receiving the second and third injections in the three-drug cocktail that constitutes lethal injection. It will be the first time a physician directly assists in California's execution chamber. Until now, only trained prison workers administered lethal injections in California, not medical personnel.
The California Medical Association as well as the American Medical Association calls the action unethical and immoral. Dr. Jack Lewin of the CMA says, "We do not believe it's ethical for doctors to participate in executions. This is not our business. We're not here to terminate people's lives."
Former AMA President Dr. Lonnie Bristow argues that assisted executions violate a code of ethics that doctors serve to heal, not to kill. "It's like bringing a priest to do the execution."
U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ordered the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to comply with one of two options to minimize any pain or suffering for Morales during the lethal injection procedure. One option was to administer only the sedative sodium thiopental. The five milligram dosage is lethal by itself, but could prolong the execution by 40 to 45 minutes.
The state choose to comply with the second option of having two board-certified, private practice anesthesiologists present. One will serve as the primary doctor with the other as a back-up. The anesthesiologist will monitor whether Morales is rendered unconscious by the sodium thiopental before lethal doses pancouronium bromide and potassium chloride, respectively, are administered.
The three-chemical combination generally takes eight to 10 minutes to cause death.
Attorneys for Morales had appealed to stay their client's execution on the argument lethal injection is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. Fogel made clear he would not block the execution but said evidence from several prior San Quentin executions raised "at least some doubt as to whether protocol actually is functioning as intended."
The anesthesiologists participating in the 12:01 am execution aren't being identified. If they do become known, they could be brought before the medical board for ethical violations.
That damn judge (Fogel)is a Clinton appointee, yet we have posters here who have stated they'll vote for Hitlery over Rudy or McCain.
The California Medical Association as well as the American Medical Association calls the action unethical and immoral. Dr. Jack Lewin of the CMA says, "We do not believe it's ethical for doctors to participate in executions. This is not our business. We're not here to terminate people's lives."
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Begs the question, why do they not have the same stance re: abortion on demand?
It's that Hypocritic Oath thingy, no doubt.
Jack Lewin, M.D. has been the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the 35,000-member California Medical Association (CMA).
Dr. Lewin served as CEO of Hawaii's largest hospital system, was a key implementer of Hawaii's near-universal access system, served as an advisor to President Clinton, and was a practicing primary care physician for 15 years.
Dr. Lewin is also Chairman and founder of MEDePASS, Inc., a high-tech company which provides Internet security, confidentiality, and authentication for healthcare providers.
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Dr. Jack Lewin, chief executive officer of the California Medical Association, said today he and other supporters of Proposition 72 will begin taking what he called "the Wal-Mart challenge" beginning Tuesday.
Lewin promised that supporters of the mandated employer healthcare law will show up at Wal-Mart parking lots and other locales accompanied by former Wal-Mart workers to take up a challenge laid down over the weekend by Wal-Mart executive Bob McAdam.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Saturday, McAdam said: "There's no proof that any of our associates are on public assistance. I defy anyone to prove it."
Prop. 72 supporters began airing TV ads over the weekend that cited a UC Berkeley Labor Institute study that estimated California taxpayers spend $32 million a year on healthcare for Wal-Mart employees and their family members who must rely on public programs for their healthcare.
How many former Wal-Mart employees will the Prop. 72 campaign produce? Lewin would say only that it is more than one.
The AMA, Ethics and Gun Control
Miguel A. Faria Jr., M.D.
Thursday, May 3, 2001
Part I: Full AMA Coffers to Push for Gun Control
The AMA is joining the gun prohibitionist movement in full force.
snip
while AMA membership remains low, its coffers remain full. The AMA has plenty of money to fund gun control efforts and ingratiate itself with the establishment's media and the liberal left camp, which lately it has joined. Indeed, the AMA's finances are said to be in the best shape that they have been in over 15 years, despite dwindling membership and questionable relevance to health care policy and medical affairs.
In the March/April 1998 issue of the Medical Sentinel, we reported that in 1996, three AMA officers were paid more than $200,000 for their time "playing politics" within organized medicine. AMA reimbursement figures then, according to Physicians Weekly, were:
AMA Officers - Position held in 1996 - Reimbursement Figure
Dr. Lonnie Bristow Immediate Past Pres. $ 229,540
"One option was to administer only the sedative sodium thiopental. The five milligram dosage is lethal by itself, but could prolong the execution by 40 to 45 minutes."
A commonly used injected barbiturate anesthetic is sodium thiopental, also known as Pentothal. This drug is fat-soluble and acts very quickly. If you receive sodium thiopental and then you are asked to count backward from 100 after the drug is injected, you probably won't remember counting past 95.
Sodium thiopental is a short acting barbiturate which is used widely as an anesthetic and normally causes unconsciousness very quickly if injected into a vein.
In most cases, the prisoner is unconscious about a minute after the Sodium thiopental has been injected and is dead in around 8 minutes, with no obvious signs of physical suffering.
http://tinyurl.com/k8dvo
Wonder how they feel about abortion.