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Lethal injection system too inhumane: doctor

An anesthesiologist testified that Ohio’s lethal injection procedure isn’t appropriate for dogs or cats, let alone humans.

Mark Heath’s testimony on Monday on behalf of two murder defendants came in a Lorain County hearing on the constitutionality of state’s method for putting prisoners to death.

Heath, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University in New York City, said it’s possible to perform lethal injection of prisoners in a humane manner, but that Ohio’s method falls below the standard for euthanizing household pets.

Heath, who has testified on lethal injection in 11 states, also said he has not found an acceptable method for lethal injection of humans in any state.

Ohio requires executions be carried out “in a professional, humane, sensitive and dignified manner.’’

The two men who are facing murder charges say the state’s lethal injection procedure doesn’t give the quick and painless deaths required by state law.

Lethal injections are on hold nationally while the US Supreme Court considers a challenge in a case from Kentucky.

The major criticism of the three-drug execution procedure is that if the executioner administers too little anesthetic or makes mistakes during the injection, the inmate could suffer excruciating pain from the other two drugs.
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