Lethal Injection Case Study

In an effort to defend the position that physicians should administer lethal injections in states where the death penalty is still applied, it is important to understand considerations like these should be made on a case by case basis. Personally, I would be a little biased towards a victim who was a sociopathic criminal and displayed no traces of remorse after committing multiple murders. I believe in weighing the good and the bad. The amount of “bad” associated with such an individual definitely would outweigh the “good” in this specific case. Both ethical and legal considerations necessitate that licensed physicians administer lethal injections to inmates on death row. There is a high risk involved if executions were performed without the involvement of medical professionals. Procedurally, during a lethal injection, the inmate must be put to
sleep first. Without properly sedating the inmate, the drugs used to paralyze the victim and stop the heart may cause excruciating pain. This pain and suffering would likely amount to a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the federal government and, as held by the Supreme Court of the United State, the states from inflicting cruel and unusual punishment, including torture, on any person. To prevent such pain, it is imperative that a trained physician monitor the vitals of the inmate and determine that the inmate is sufficiently sedated prior to injecting the lethal drugs. Moreover, physicians are most capable of ensuring that the drugs are administered correctly. Correct use may include a proper dosage of each drug, a proper order of dosage, a proper injection location and a correct timing of delivery of the drugs, among other considerations. Not only does a physician’s training provide the lowest risk of complications, the training also ensures that if anything goes wrong the physician may intervene to minimize any amount of suffering experienced by the inmate. Each of these duties falls in line with a physician’s role in prolonging life, reducing suffering, and/or otherwise improving a person’s quality of life.
This role extends to the time of a person’s death, making a physician’s involvement instrumental in the humane administration of a lethal injection. The risks outlined above may be avoided, and inmates put to death in the most humane way possible consistent with both the U.S. Constitution and the role of physicians, by ensuring that properly licensed physicians handle the administration of the lethal injection. While it may be the least painful method of execution, it still goes against the Hippocratic Oath. As a physician who swore to do no harm, my only responsibility would be easing the suffering. And, in the event that physicians refused to participate in administering lethal injections during executions, there will be a fear that the criminal may have to undergo another procedure which would be harsher and more painful. In order to avoid harsher procedures for the victim, physicians should administer lethal injection in states where the death penalty is still
applied.