Posted on 02/21/2006 9:23:01 PM PST by NormsRevenge
For hundreds of years, doctors have been involved in executions. But their efforts to get out of this grisly business put them on a collision course this week with a federal judge who ordered that they assist in killing a California inmate.
"There's been an attempt to medicalize executions all the way back to the French Revolution," when Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin invented the guillotine as a humane method of death, said University of Minnesota bioethicist Dr. Steven Miles.
"Doctors then got involved again in designing electrocution for the same reason in the United States," he said. "The medical profession has been trying to dig itself out of this" ever since.
The most recent example is the case of Michael Morales, convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl in California.
On its face, what doctors were asked to do might seem humane - ensure that Morales was adequately sedated before two painful drugs to end his life were injected. In fact, the judge ordered their participation after Morales' lawyer argued that the inmate would suffer cruel and unusual punishment if not sedated properly.
However, two anesthesiologists refused to participate in the 12:01 a.m. Tuesday execution after learning they would be expected to tell prison officials whether Morales needed more sedation or possibly even give him more medication, thereby allowing the execution to proceed. Late Tuesday, prison authorities called off the execution indefinitely.
"They weren't just going to observe," which by itself would still violate medical ethics, said Dr. Priscilla Ray, a Houston psychiatrist who chairs the American Medical Association's council on ethical and judicial affairs.
The AMA and many other medical groups have long opposed doctors having any role in executions, including monitoring a prisoner's vital signs or giving technical advice.
"They should not even certify death," because if they find the patient has not died it would lead to more drugs or electrocution to kill the patient, Miles said.
"The ethical standard is pretty much universal," said Leonard Rubenstein, a lawyer who is director of Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights. "It's the same reason physicians can't be involved in coerced interrogations," or help certify prisoners as psychiatrically fit to be executed, he said.
It's a voluntary rule and no doctors have been reprimanded or defrocked for taking part in executions.
In the California case, the anesthesiologists would have joined another doctor who is on duty during all California executions. That doctor does not insert any of the intravenous lines and is not in the room during the execution itself; typically the physician watches the inmate's vital signs on electronic monitors outside the death chamber and declares the prisoner dead.
Most states have devised strategies to avoid involving doctors.
Illinois, for instance, adopted a law saying that assisting death was not practicing medicine, thus freeing the state to hire non-physicians to do the job. Many states use "execution specialists" who are trained in how to start intravenous lines to administer lethal injections.
Texas has used such volunteers, many of whom have military training, for the 359 executions it has conducted since 1982, said Michelle Lyons, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Doctors are involved "very, very little" - only to pronounce a prisoner dead and not being present when the person was put to death, she said.
"Some states proceed without medical supervision or they require physicians to participate notwithstanding the ethical prohibitions," said Rubenstein of Physicians for Human Rights. "The doctors who work for the corrections system are in a complete bind" if required to participate as a condition of employment, he said.
In California, the judge gave prison officials two options after the two anesthesiologists refused to assist: Find a doctor who would, or kill Morales with an overdose of sedatives instead of the three-drug combination that carries the possibility of pain.
Prison officials chose the second option, but the judge then required that a medical professional administer the fatal dose of barbiturates in the execution chamber.
Hours later, authorities postponed Morales' execution indefinitely, saying they could not find anyone to give the lethal injection as ordered.
The AMA and many other medical groups have long opposed doctors having any role in executions, including monitoring a prisoner's vital signs or giving technical advice.
"They should not even certify death," because if they find the patient has not died it would lead to more drugs or electrocution to kill the patient, Miles said.
"The ethical standard is pretty much universal," said Leonard Rubenstein, a lawyer who is director of Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights. "It's the same reason physicians can't be involved in coerced interrogations," or help certify prisoners as psychiatrically fit to be executed, he said.
It's a voluntary rule and no doctors have been reprimanded or defrocked for taking part in executions.
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A voluntary rule? If only victims had the same consideration when they are murdered.
I'm sure there are doctors that would have volunteered to assist.
b-b-b-but they have no problem with "doctors" executing babies in the womb?
don't forget euthanasia too, as long as its state sanctioned.
And don't forget that pharmacists have to hand out RU486 - because it's their job to do so...
Just another frontal attack on the death penalty. Get out ole sparky!!
All those in favor, raise your right hand: Let's execute this meddling, overly sensitive judge!! Then HE can tell us if if its painful.
Sorry, got carried away with the "if"!!
Doctors who have a problem with it should not be forced to do it. Imagine if what the pro-abortion lobby wants happens: doctors being forced to offer abortion as one of their services.
I've got the answer.
Put Morales on a feeding tube and then deny food and hydration. I'm told it's humane and painless.
Good point.
The comment a CMA spokesmen made was the correctional system in California is large and should already have adequate personnel qualified or trained relatively easily to be involved in the process as needed.
And don't forget that pharmacists have to hand out RU486 - because it's their job to do so...
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Not sure but I think that's still on a state by state basis.
These people are such hypocrites. They hide behind "ethics" the same way the terrorist hide behind "religion" There is nothing ethical about this. It's all political.
I have no doubt that the judge was aware of the medical associations' prohibitions against participating in an execution. That's part of the plan to make executions by lethal injection impossible to carry out.
The irony is that the original 3-drug sequence that the judge worried would cause pain is EXACTLY the one used by Dr. Kevorkian to kill his "patient" on "60 Minutes" several years ago. Strange that supporters of assisted suicide have absolutely NO problem using the 3-drug sequence on patients, but somehow it's suddenly excruciating when applied to convicted murderers!
I should have stated that I was aping the rhetoric of the left...
http://people.howstuffworks.com/lethal-injection4.htm
The drugs are administered, in this order:
Anesthetic - Sodium thiopental, which has the trademark name Pentothal, puts the inmate into a deep sleep. This drug is a barbiturate that induces general anesthesia when administered intravenously. It can reach effective clinical concentrations in the brain within 30 seconds, according to an Amnesty International report. For surgical operations, patients are given a dose of 100 to 150 milligrams over a period of 10 to 15 seconds. For executions, as many as 5 grams (5,000 mg) of Pentothal may be administered. This in itself is a lethal dose. It's believed by some that after this anesthetic is delivered, the inmate doesn't feel anything.
Saline solution flushes the intravenous line.
Paralyzing agent - Pancuronium bromide, also known as Pavulon, is a muscle relaxant that is given in a dose that stops breathing by paralyzing the diaphragm and lungs. Conventionally, this drug takes effect in one to three minutes after being injected. In many states, this drug is given in doses of up to 100 milligrams, a much higher dose than is used in surgical operations -- usually 40 to 100 micrograms per one kilogram of body weight. Other chemicals that can be used as a paralyzing agent include tubocurarine chloride and succinylcholine chloride.
Saline solution flushes the intravenous line.
Toxic agent (not used by all states) - Potassium chloride is given at a lethal dose in order to interrupt the electrical signaling essential to heart functions. This induces cardiac arrest.
Within a minute or two after the last drug is administered, a physician or medical technician declares the inmate dead. The amount of time between when the prisoner leaves the holding cell and when he or she is declared dead may be just 30 minutes. Death usually occurs anywhere from five to 18 minutes after the execution order is given. After the execution, the body is placed in a body bag and taken to medical examiner, who may perform an autopsy. It is then either claimed by the inmate's family or interred by the state.
I take all comers, even apers. ;-)
No they don't. But if their employer requires them to do it, they either have to or they lose their job. I don't get to pick and choose my daily tasks, why should they?
Go back to firing squads. Who cares.
I used to be an Army medic, I'll friggin do it for travel expenses.
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