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Christa Pike ‘angry, confused’ and unable to move arms after failed execution, lawyers say (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 day ago by to c/health@lemmy.world
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Attorneys say Pike was set to be taken off life support before she woke up, as judge orders officials to preserve evidence

Christa Pike awoke “angry and confused” after surviving two lethal injections, her attorneys said on Wednesday, as a judge ordered Tennessee state officials to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution.

Pike, 50, was taken to hospital unconscious but alive from Tennessee’s execution chamber last Wednesday after two supposedly lethal doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital.

She was declared brain dead on Monday, her attorneys said, and her team was informed of plans to remove her from life support the next day. “But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone … Christa woke up and began talking,” Randy Spivey, one of her lawyers, said at a press conference on Wednesday. He was told her first words were “Where am I?” and “Who are you?”

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[–] 10 points 14 hours ago (5 children)

It's because judicially approved murder is extremely unpopular in educated and competent circles.

Meaning anyone willing to take part in the affair is most likely wholly undercompetent to try.

Not only are the vast majority of doctors and nurses personally against it, but even the few that aren't won't do it because the medical associations would have a hell of a time revoking the executioner's licence.

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  • [–] 1 point 19 minutes ago

    Not to mention that all the big pharmaceutical companies of the world won’t sell their meds to states using them for execution. I highly doubt they could even get the drugs required for assisted suicide.

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  • [–] 3 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

    Thanks for the insight. I was just going off of a few documentaries ive seen years ago that followed a few people that went through the process. I dont remember who it was that helped, but they did seem knowledgeable and able to provide this kit that basically assisted with terminating their life. It all seemed pretty peaceful compared to what they do for executions so it just didnt really make sense to me as to what they used.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 child)

    Okay, there might be a misunderstanding so I'd just like to check.

    Judicial murder is this death penalty exacution stuff. Someone does something bad and a judge tells them he'll have them killed off for it.

    Voluntary euthanasia is different. It's where the person themselves wants to end their own life.

    Medical ethics say "do no harm" among some otger thigs as well, and the modern interpretation is that a doctor can help with voluntary euthanasia in certain cases. Usually there's a government-mandated checklist to decide there's less "harm" in helping the person leave this world behind that there would beto let them suffer in their chronic ailments. And this is only for some places (jurisdictions). Adoption of voluntary euthanasia is pretty slowgoing.

    Medical associations in the US specifically do not want anything to do with executions. They bar their members from taking part in them. The main argument is that the people on "death row" are healthy and taking part in their killing goes against the "do no harm" doctrine.

    However, nothing can truly stop a determined medical professional from taking part in an execution. The "only" consequebce of doing so is losing their licence at the medical association (if registered). Since registration and membership are needed to be able to work in the field, there's a huge financial incentive against it.

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