In a fascinating look inside the North Carolina death chamber, the N&O reports that Dr. Obi Umesi, the Raleigh physician present for at least 18 of the state's past 20 executions, testified on Monday that he was never asked by prison officials to monitor inmates' vital signs during executions.
Umesi characterized his actions as complying with an N.C. Medical Board ethics policy that restricts doctors' participation in executions. The testimony and interview contradict prison officials, who were required by a federal judge to have a doctor monitor the lethal injection procedure.
The NC General Assembly (and our Courts) put a physician in the death chamber (pretty much ignoring accepted cannons of medical ethics) in order to ensure that executions were "humane". But the NC Medical Board recently (and rather belatedly) ruled that doctors cannot participate in any way . . . even if the doctor wishes to intervene to relieve suffering from a botched protocol/procedure (like re-positioning a malpositioned IV, or adjusting the dosage/sequence of medications delivered).
For many years, Umesi testified, he stayed in the warden's office on the first floor of Central Prison during executions -- away from the second-floor death chamber -- and simply signed death certificates. Within the past two or three years, Umesi said, the warden asked him to move to an observation room adjacent to the death chamber. He said that though the room has a window into the death chamber, he could not see the inmate from where he stood. Umesi testified he could not see the screens of either the heart monitor or the brain-wave machine.
Umesi added that prison officials never asked him to monitor either machines' readings . . . despite the judge's order.
Our government at work: Don't ask. Don't tell.
But wait. There's more:
The judge also heard testimony from an anesthesiologist and a veterinarian who said the new execution procedures will not ensure inmates' experience painless deaths.
Dr. Kevin Concannon, the veterinarian, said he would not use North Carolina's execution protocol to euthanize animals. "My opinion is I would not use this protocol in my hospital, nor would I recommend that other veterinarians use this protocol to perform euthanasia."
Playing devil's advocate, it begs the question . . .
. . . how would the vet do it?
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3 comments:
Years ago a horse was hit by a car and the vet asked the policeman to shoot the horse with his gun...
I don't have a clue how it would be handled today.
Is a bullet to the brain a painless way to die? I suspect that it is.
Is beheading a painless way to die? I suspect that it is.
Am I overly concerned if the convicted experience a non-painful death? A little discomfort is ok.
I've had to put down two beloved pets in the last few years.
It was done with a massive dose of sedation.
The first kitty (The Princess Three Legs) was dead within seconds of being handed back to me to rest against my chest. It was kind of jarring. One second the cat was alive, then she was dead.
When I had to do it again (a little over a year later) I did not bother to lift my beloved Morgan off the table. I just stroked her and talked to her and told her how much I loved her and would miss her.
Bad memory. Tears welling up. Must go.
"OLD SPARKY"
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