Disgrace in the US: An Antiquated Punishment

The U.S. does not produce the medicine pentobarbital, which is used for executions, domestically. The European manufacturer which previously supplied the drug has chosen to halt its sale to prisons. So the state of Ohio decided this past autumn to consent to the use of a new and untested preparation — a combination of the sedative midazolam and the pain-killing hydromorfone.

This has now been tested, despite the final attempts of Dennis McGuire’s attorneys to stop the experiment. McGuire’s attorneys said that he would suffer agony and terror while straining to catch his breath. The state didn’t agree, writes Aftonbladet (Jan. 16).

Reading about the result is ghastly. McGuire was executed in Ohio the other week. In the local newspaper, Columbus Dispatch, a reporter describes the course of events: “About 10:34 a.m, he began struggling. His body strained against the restraints around his body, and he repeatedly gasped for air, making snorting and choking sounds …. His chest and stomach heaved; his left hand … clenched in a fist. McGuire eventually issued two final, silent gasps and became still. He was pronounced dead at 10:53 a.m.”

In the witness room outside, McGuire’s daughter sat and watched the entire execution.

There are no words for this inhumane spectacle. Dagens Nyheter reported also that the states of Wyoming and Missouri are affected by the same drug shortage; they are therefore considering introducing firing squads as an execution method. Yes, it is actually being discussed.

Taking the life of a captive, unarmed and defenseless person is barbaric, regardless of what he or she has done. Doing it and calling it administration of justice is a disgrace, even more so when it is accomplished in an indifferent manner, like an inexpert, macabre experiment. That this also happens in one of the largest democracies is beyond my comprehension.