Slashdot Mirror
Pfizer Blocks The Use Of Its Drugs In Executions
HughPickens.com writes: Erik Eckholm reports in the NYT that the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced that it has imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections, a step that closes off the last remaining open-market source of drugs used in executions. "Pfizer makes its products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve," the company says, and "strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment." "With Pfizer's announcement, all F.D.A.-approved manufacturers of any potential execution drug have now blocked their sale for this purpose," says Maya Foa. "Executing states must now go underground if they want to get hold of medicines for use in lethal injection." The mounting difficulty in obtaining lethal drugs has already caused states to furtively scramble for supplies. Some states have used straw buyers or tried to import drugs from abroad that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, only to see them seized by federal agents. Other states have experimented with new drug combinations, sometimes with disastrous results, such as the prolonged execution of Joseph Wood in Arizona in 2014, using the sedative midazolam. A few states have adopted the electric chair, firing squad or gas chamber as an alternative if lethal drugs are not available. Since Utah chooses to have a death penalty, "we have to have a means of carrying it out," said State Representative Paul Ray as he argued last year for authorization of the firing squad.
a)
1. Deterrence. If even one person decides to not rape or murder because of the risk of getting slowly burned to death then it's good.
2. Not having the families of the victims (or victims themselves if they are still alive) paying for food and clothes of the criminal who will be let out of jail anyway.
3. As for the method - well, the guys who raped a girl then locked her in the trunk of their car and set the car on fire didn't care for "humane execution", why should I care for their well being (other than ensuring there is lack of it)?
Actually, there should be some mocking preceding the execution, something along the lines of giving the criminal an award for bravely sacrificing himself to protect us from the evil incarnate 5 year old girl who could only be defeated by raping her to death and the award is blowtorch to the dick.
b)
1. Usually whatever the government does, is legal (since it can make things legal or illegal). Also, unless the same drugs used can also be used for "entertainment" like cocaine there should be no problem. Though maybe there is some point in executing drug (cocaine etc) dealers by injecting them with their merchandise.
2. I am willing to amend my statement to make an exception for those who scam drug addicts by selling them actual poisons in place of the other drugs (thus making sure that the addict will never rob/kill somebody for drug money ever again and reducing the demand for drugs), to just get life in prison (killing people is still wrong, but you saved the State from having to perform more executions, so you get to not be slowly burned to death).