New death penalty cocktail. Seems effective.

[Ns1]

Convicted murderer and rapist Dennis McGuire took more than 15 minutes to die, appearing to gasp during his execution Thursday by Ohio using a combination of drugs never tried before in the United States.

The process, using a two-drug protocol, is the latest attempt by states seeking a way to execute prisoners in a constitutionally approved manner that avoids cruel and unusual punishment. The issue has been complicated because the manufacturer of a drug previously used made it unavailable for use in capital punishment.

According to a pool report from journalists who witnessed the execution at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, McGuire took more than 15 minutes to die and made “several loud snorting or snoring sounds.”

McGuire's attorney, federal public defender Allen Bohnert, called the death “a failed, agonizing experiment by the state of Ohio.”

In keeping with its policy, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced only the time of death, 10:53 a.m. McGuire was sentenced to death for murdering Joy Stewart, 22, in 1989. Stewart was about 30 weeks pregnant.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a national nonprofit, most states until 2010 used a three-drug combination to execute criminals: an anesthetic; a paralyzing agent and a chemical to stop the heart. But drug shortages and pressure from death-penalty opponents have forced some manufacturers to pull back and that has led some states to seek different ways to carry out death sentences.

Eight states have used a single lethal dose of an anesthetic and five other states have announced they will use that protocol, but have yet to execute anyone. About 20 states have used or planned to use pentobarbital, one of the drugs that was commonly used in the three-drug protocol.

But Ohio announced in September that it, like some other states, had run out of pentobarbital. The state said it will become the first in the nation to try a two-drug protocol, midazolam, a sedative, and hydromorphone, related to morphine.

McGuire's attorneys had attempted to halt his execution last week, arguing the untried method put him at substantial risk of “agony and terror” during the execution. The state during court proceedings argued that though the Constitution protects from cruel punishment, that may not mean a completely comfortable death.

“You're not entitled to a pain-free execution,” Assistant Atty. Gen. Thomas Madden said in court.

According to the Associated Press, McGuire made loud snorting noises during one of the longest executions since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999.
Strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber, McGuire thanked Stewart's family for their “kind words” in a letter he apparently received from them.
“I'm going to heaven, I'll see you there when you come,” he said through a microphone held by the warden.

As his adult children sobbed a few feet away in a witness room, McGuire opened and shut his left hand as if waving to his daughter, son and daughter-in-law.

More than a minute later he raised himself up, looked in the direction of his family and said, “I love you. I love you” — his words audible even though the microphone had been removed.

McGuire was still for almost five minutes, then emitted a loud snort, as if snoring, and continued to make that sound over the next several minutes. He also soundlessly opened and shut his mouth several times as his stomach rose and fell.

“Oh my God,” his daughter, Amber McGuire, said as she observed her father's final moments, the wire service reported.

Bohnert, McGuire's attorney, said concerns about the manner of death had been confirmed by the sounds and the length of time it took for him to die.
“And more importantly, the people of the state of Ohio should be appalled at what was done here today in their names,” said Bohnert, who did not witness the execution.

The state announced the new method of execution in October and had planned to use it for the execution of Ronald Phillips, 40, who was scheduled to die in November for killing a 3-year-old girl.
However, Gov. John Kasich delayed that execution to allow time to study whether the state could meet Phillips’ request to donate his organs.


http://www.latimes.com/nation/natio...rotocol-20140116,0,420812.story#ixzz2qbb8R3Qj

I don't feel bad. Not sure why anyone feels bad when a murderer suffers. I'm sure they didn't give a #$#@$ about their victims suffering.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Hmmm sounds like McGuire suffered from sleep apnea and the drugs placed him in a deep sleep which resulted in the snorts/snoring.

 

[MustISO]

I still think a firing squad would be better and much cheaper.

 

[boomerang]

So do death penalty opponents consider this to be a victory? I must assume so.

 

[fskimospy]

So do death penalty opponents consider this to be a victory? I must assume so.

I think death penalty opponents view this as an opportunity to highlight the fundamental barbarity of the death penalty. Victories are measured by executions prevented, not executions that just show how right we were.

 

[Victorian Gray]

I don't feel bad. Not sure why anyone feels bad when a murderer suffers. I'm sure they didn't give a #$#@$ about their victims suffering.

From your very own constitution I present, the 8th amendment:

"Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

 

[BUnit1701]

I still think a firing squad would be better and much cheaper.

This. I am not a medical expert, but I would be willing to lay down cash that no one has ever survived 8 rifle rounds to the head long enough to suffer.

 

[boomerang]

From your very own constitution I present, the 8th amendment:

"Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

We had the drugs to make it a humane punishment but zealots made them unavailable. If he suffered it was because of them.

 

[Drako]

I still think a firing squad would be better and much cheaper.

This.

Firing squad is both quick and effective.

 

[Vic]

Hangings and firing squads are fine by me, although both do tend to be quite messy.

 

[Ns1]

From your very own constitution I present, the 8th amendment:

"Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

Ambiguous. It was certainly less cruel and unusual than what he did to his victim.

 

[WelshBloke]

You presumably confiscate tons of heroin a year?

Why not just use a massive dose of that?

Yeah its of dubious quality but use enough of it and it'll work, and theres no suffering.

Or cost.

 

[WelshBloke]

Ambiguous. It was certainly less cruel and unusual than what he did to his victim.

Yeah but the good guys are not supposed to justify their behaviour by the behaviour of the worst.

 

[Victorian Gray]

We had the drugs to make it a humane punishment but zealots made them unavailable. If he suffered it was because of them.

Really?

"The Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) strongly opposes the Missouri Department of Corrections use of propofol in lethal injections due to the immediate impact it could have on our ability to safely administer anesthesia during surgeries. As physicians, anesthesiologists rely on propofol to manage vital life functions in over 95% of the surgeries we perform. If Missouri uses this anesthetic in a single lethal injection, over 15,000 hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities across the country are in risk of losing their supply of propofol in the operating room."

http://www.msahq.com/wp-content/upl...t-on-Use-of-Propofol-in-Lethal-Injections.pdf

"London, 15 May 2013 – Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (LSE: HIK) (NASDAQ
Dubai: HIK) notes the press release issued today by the legal action charity Reprieve, regarding the potential use of its injectable phenobarbital for the purpose of capital punishment by the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Phenobarbital is the world’s most widely used anti-*convulsant. Hikma
strongly objects to the use of any of its products in capital punishment. The Company is putting in place concrete steps to restrict the supply of its
products for unintended uses. It has ceased the direct sale of injectable
phenobarbital to US departments of corrections and will work directly with its distribution partners to add restrictions for unintended use to its distribution contracts.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/HikmaStatement.pdf

And another company statement:

http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FreseniusPropofolStatement.pdf

And yet another pharmaceutical company's statement:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/files/LundbeckPR070111.pdf

 

[Victorian Gray]

Ambiguous. It was certainly less cruel and unusual than what he did to his victim.

The American Constitution doesn't care.

 

[Ns1]

The American Constitution doesn't care.

Which is why we put this asshole to sleep.

'MURICA. FVCK YEAH.

 

[PrinceofWands]

From your very own constitution I present, the 8th amendment:

"Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

I consider it neither cruel, nor unusual. Further, since the death penalty has been in place for about 12,000 years I can demonstrate convincingly that it isn't 'unusual'. Cruel is, of course, subjective. However many (if not most) would consider living in a tiny cell among other evil people and no hope of a change in conditions at least as cruel, if not crueler.

 

[waggy]

fuck drugs. bring back the guillotine. quick and painless.

 

[boomerang]

"The Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) strongly opposes the Missouri Department of Corrections use of propofol in lethal injections due to the immediate impact it could have on our ability to safely administer anesthesia during surgeries. As physicians, anesthesiologists rely on propofol to manage vital life functions in over 95% of the surgeries we perform. If Missouri uses this anesthetic in a single lethal injection, over 15,000 hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities across the country are in risk of losing their supply of propofol in the operating room."

Did you even read what you linked?

Missouri is scheduled to become the first ever state to use propofol for lethal injection in our country on October 23. We urge the Department of Corrections not to jeopardize the safety of over 50 million patients who rely on this critical medication for anesthesia during surgery each year.

Propofol was to be used as a substitute drug. Besides the fact that it was not used in this instance, if it had been, it would have been because, are you ready, because zealots made phenobarbital unavailable. Hope your knee didn't hit you in the chin too hard.

I was going to address the rest of your diatribe in more depth but it can once again be explained by zealots making phenobarbital unavailable so a substitute was found.

The progressive mind, instead of thinking, it uses a lot of words.

 

[brianmanahan]

I still think a firing squad would be better and much cheaper.

:thumbsup:

 

[Vic]

I consider it neither cruel, nor unusual. Further, since the death penalty has been in place for about 12,000 years I can demonstrate convincingly that it isn't 'unusual'. Cruel is, of course, subjective. However many (if not most) would consider living in a tiny cell among other evil people and no hope of a change in conditions at least as cruel, if not crueler.

IMO, life in prison without parole is crueler than the death penalty.

 

[Vic]

fuck drugs. bring back the guillotine. quick and painless.

And incredibly messy. No one wants to clean that up.

 

[PrinceofWands]

IMO, life in prison without parole is crueler than the death penalty.

I agree fully. In fact, if I were sentenced to more than about 10 years I'd ask for death, and kill myself if it wasn't granted.

 

[Ns1]

And incredibly messy. No one wants to clean that up.

That's why they invented painter tarp.

 

[boomerang]

Dexter didn't leave no mess.