Lethal Injection: Statements Medical

STATEMENTS FROM DOCTORS AND MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS

• American Medical Association, EMT Association Say Participation in Executions Violates Medical Ethics
• Anesthesiologists Advised to Avoid Lethal Injections

Articles with Statements from Doctors:

• "Physicians and Executions," Gregory D. Curfman, M.D., Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D., and Jeffrey M. Drazen, M.D., New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 358:403-404; January 24, 2008; Number 4

• Lee Black and Robert Sade, "Lethal Injections and Physicians: State Law vs Medical Ethics,"American Medical Association. All rights reserved. (Reprinted) JAMA, December 19, 2007— Vol 298, No. 23 2779

• Should Physicians Participate in Capital Punishment? Editorial, Arthur L. Caplan Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2007; 82:1047-1048 (Sept. 2007)

• Physician Involvement in Capital Punishment: Simplifying a Complex Calculus Editorial, William L. Lanier, Keith H. Berge; Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2007; 82:1043-1046 (Sept. 2007)

• Physician Participation in Capital Punishment (abstract, fee charged for entire article) Commentary, David Waisel, Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2007; 82:1073-1080 (Sept. 2007) (supports doctor participation in lethal injections)
  

• Doctors Say There Are Alternatives to Current Lethal Injection Procedures, New York Times (June 23, 2006 - summary)

• Inmates Probably Conscious During Lethal Injections, The Lancet (Medical Journal), Vol. 365, p. 1412 (April 16, 2007)

• Lethal Injection for Execution: Chemical Asphyxiation? Public Library of Science Journal (April 24, 2007)

• "Executions Halted as Doctors Balk," Pauline Vu, Stateline.org (March 21, 2007) (participation of doctors in executions):

Until recently, the extent of physician participation had been unclear to the public. According to a 2005 article in The Journal of Legal Medicine, 17 states require physician participation in executions. The extent of participation, however, is unclear. While Colorado and Georgia state that physicians must participate "to the extent necessary," most of the states call for doctors to declare death or simply be present - with other potential duties unmentioned.

An additional 18 states allow for the participation of doctors, sometimes by not explicitly prohibiting them, according to the article. Missouri's execution protocols, for example, don't mention medical personnel, but the recent court case revealed that a doctor had been filling syringes with anesthetic.

Only two states Illinois and Kentucky - forbid doctors from participating in or attending executions.

States are confronting the physician dilemma in a variety of ways. Georgia and Oklahoma recently enacted laws that forbid state medical boards from punishing medical workers who participate in executions.