Alabama, unless stopped by the courts, intends to strap Kenneth Eugene Smith to a gurney Thursday and use a gas mask to replace breathable air with nitrogen, depriving him of oxygen, in the nation’s first execution attempt with the method.
The Alabama attorney general’s office told federal appeals court judges last week that nitrogen hypoxia is “the most painless and humane method of execution known to man.” But what exactly Smith, 58, will feel after the warden switches on the gas is unknown, some doctors and critics say.
“What effect the condemned person will feel from the nitrogen gas itself, no one knows,” Dr. Jeffrey Keller, president of the American College of Correctional Physicians, wrote in an email. “This has never been done before. It is an experimental procedure.”
Keller, who was not involved in developing the Alabama protocol, said the plan is to “eliminate all of the oxygen from the air” that Smith is breathing by replacing it with nitrogen.
I think critics being negative, raising doubts and being vocal is important. Sure, they might not be the brightest or have a degree related to whatever they criticize but they raise concerns, give different points of view that experts could neglect and spark debate on such subjects. When it’s something as touchy and final as a death penalty, I’m glad they’re around.
The critics are by definition the people raising doubts though. It’s a non-statement. The state should not be trusted with the power to kill people, but if you absolutely must have a death penalty, this is the way to do it.