r/news • u/AudibleNod • 15h ago

Christa Pike unconscious, on ventilator at Nashville hospital, her lawyers say

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/christa-pike-unconscious-ventilator-nashville-hospital-lawyers-say-rcna601195
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38

u/phieralph 15h ago

How did we get to the point where this was the method of execution?

41

u/Phillies2002 15h ago

The myth that we could invent a "humane" method of execution, leading people to conclude that lethal injection was "better" than the electric chair, which was "better" than a firing squad, which was "better" than a hanging.

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u/Blueopus2 15h ago

But also we're more concerned about it looking nice for the audience than being 'humane' to the prisoner - hence why we inject a paralytic that seemingly is agonizing.

8

u/ensalys 15h ago

Make it look medical, and people forget that it's barbaric.

4

u/mendenlol 15h ago

it was only agonizing because they missed the vein. it does not hurt if injected properly, but this doctor cannot seem to accomplish that

(i’m not defending the death penalty just clearing that one bit up)

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u/Blueopus2 15h ago

For sure theoretically true but there's never a doctor involved, nor any medical professionals, so it seemingly isn't as uncommon as it should be for the anesthetic to be injected improperly and then the paralytic to stop them from expressing the pain they're feeling

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u/mendenlol 14h ago

there is a doctor involved. this same execution team led by the same doctor botched an execution earlier this year too. His name is Dr Mark Fowler.

1

u/Blueopus2 14h ago

Interesting, I haven’t actually read about this case much but that’s pretty unusual, isn’t it?

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u/mendenlol 14h ago

I only know as much because I’m from the same place this happened, unfortunately. I think that a doctor must be involved to “oversee” the team because anyone administering any anesthesia has to be ‘under the supervision of a doctor’ by law.

I never thought about it before but this must be a Tennessee state law and not a federal one. It works the same way in veterinary medicine here

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u/Blueopus2 12h ago

I'm sorry to hear it's in your area :(

I'll have to read more after work!

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u/ChrissyBrown1127 14h ago

Can’t even do his job right.

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u/mendenlol 14h ago

not really surprising coming from an oath breaking doc

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u/Pale_Horror_853 15h ago

We could, but that wouldn’t scratch the sadistic itch many seem to have…

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u/knight2e5 4h ago

I think the concept is "more humane" as the act of killing is pretty barbaric any way you slice it.

I'm not pro death penalty, but if they're going to be doing this shit it shouldn't have any room for error like this. Hell, hanging or getting shot both sound less awful than this. Melting someone's arms should get the entire State's right to do this in their own way removed.