A State That Kills Cannot Uphold Human Dignity
The failed execution in Tennessee exposes the moral and ethical no-man’s-land occupied by supporters of the death penalty even more starkly than executions that go as planned.
The botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has caused an outcry around the world. After the needles repeatedly missed her veins, the 50-year-old reportedly even tried to help the executioners who were struggling to kill her. In the end, the pentobarbital did not work.
One of Pike’s defense attorneys condemned the procedure as torture and a violation of human dignity. Pike is now in the hospital. It is unclear whether she will recover enough for the state to be allowed to kill her.
This is a moral and ethical no-man’s-land where any human rights compass spins wildly. Executions are inherently incompatible with human dignity.
Pure Retribution
The sole purpose of the death penalty is retribution. That is a human impulse, but it has no place in any legal system. Capital punishment cannot undo a crime or reverse a loss. Above all, it makes miscarriages of justice irreversible. Nor do executions have any deterrent effect, as statistics consistently show.
The U.S. has always retained the death penalty, with Republicans in particular holding fast to it, even though many states have not carried out an execution in years. That has long made the U.S. something of an outlier in the Western world.
Now, amid the growing brutality of the Trump era, the death penalty is gaining ground again. Executions are scheduled in Texas and Florida this October. Every single one deserves our outrage.
The botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has caused an outcry around the world. After the needles repeatedly missed her veins, the 50-year-old reportedly even tried to help the executioners who were struggling to kill her. In the end, the pentobarbital did not work.
One of Pike’s defense attorneys condemned the procedure as torture and a violation of human dignity. Pike is now in the hospital. It is unclear whether she will recover enough for the state to be allowed to kill her.
This is a moral and ethical no-man’s-land where any human rights compass spins wildly. Executions are inherently incompatible with human dignity.
Pure Retribution
The sole purpose of the death penalty is retribution. That is a human impulse, but it has no place in any legal system. Capital punishment cannot undo a crime or reverse a loss. Above all, it makes miscarriages of justice irreversible. Nor do executions have any deterrent effect, as statistics consistently show.
The U.S. has always retained the death penalty, with Republicans in particular holding fast to it, even though many states have not carried out an execution in years. That has long made the U.S. something of an outlier in the Western world.
Now, amid the growing brutality of the Trump era, the death penalty is gaining ground again. Executions are scheduled in Texas and Florida this October. Every single one deserves our outrage.
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