this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
51 points (93.2% liked)

News

23014 readers
2 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Alabama has already tried once to execute Kenneth Smith. On the evening of Nov. 17, 2022, Smith lay on a gurney as workers tried for an hour to insert needles into the veins of his hand, arms and collarbone so they could put him to death by lethal injection. Just before midnight, the execution was called off.

Surviving an execution is uncommon. Only one other prisoner alive today has done it — a death row prisoner from Alabama whom the state also failed to execute by lethal injection. But Smith's case is even more unusual. When the state again tries to execute him, on Jan. 25, Alabama plans to use nitrogen gas. It will be the first time the gas has been used as an execution method in the U.S.

The method has come under scrutiny for safety and human rights reasons. NPR exclusively published a document that showed the Alabama Department of Corrections had required Smith's spiritual adviser, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, to sign a waiver acknowledging that the state believes he could be at risk of exposure to the gas. In January, the United Nations published a statement that declared U.N. experts were concerned the method could lead to grave suffering.

all 21 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I believe the death penalty is morally wrong in any and all circumstances. But if the state botches their murder attempt, they shouldn’t get a second try.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

Something about jabbing someone with needles for an hour trying to kill them, failing, and being like “WELP LET’S KILL YA ANOTHER DAY”

…sounds a little, hmm. Cruel? Unusual maybe?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I agree, there's no world in which I can make the death penalty make coherent moral sense to me.

This article exemplified that perfectly with the interview snippets near the end. The guy mentioned that he's been receiving PTSD therapy since the first botched attempt, and I thought "what's the point in spending the effort and money treating his trauma when they're still so set on killing him?". To be clear, I don't believe that one bit, which is why it was such a jarring thought. I legitimately cannot understand why someone who was pro death penalty would care about this guy's wellbeing when they clearly don't.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I've heard nitrogen gas is perhaps the most humane method (though I oppose capital punishment). The feeling of asphyxiation comes from rising CO2 in the brainstem. If he can continue expelling the CO2 you won't feel anything except as you go hypoxic you'll become more dazed and confused until you simply pass out.

Then again I've always wondered why we don't just put these people under anesthesia and then overdose on morphine.

[–] sleepyTonia 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

That one's in part because cruelty is by design I imagine, but also because the people giving those injections aren't medical professionals and can't legally obtain those substances. Guess that also explains how they can fuck up finding veins this bad. From what I've read and heard (In Last Week Tonight among others, I believe) they basically just use toxic crap that chemically burns the inmate from the inside and makes them asphyxiate while conscious. And of course they turn out to be undeserving of an execution around 5% of the time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Wait, seriously? They aren't even medical professionals administering the substances...?

Guess that would kind of go against the Hippocratic Oath.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I would rather the accused be given their choice of method, like was done in this case, than to make arbitrary decisions on what one thinks causes the most suffering. Granted I to am anti death penalty. I don't see any benefit to it. I am for individual decided euthanasia.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Hell yeah, I'd choose gladiatorial combat.