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Lethal injection is a method of execution used in the United States - although it can also refer to a method of euthanasia or suicide. It is performed by injecting a person with fatal doses of poisonous drugs to cause death. This page focuses on the application of lethal injection as a form of capital punishment.
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Fast Facts
- The United States was the first country to use a lethal injection
- The humaneness of lethal injection has been debated
- 37 states use lethal injection to execute murderers
- 36 states use a triple cocktail that first sedates the prisoner, then paralyzes his lungs, and finally stops his heart
- 1997: China adopts lethal injection as method of execution
- Lethal injection is the most common execution method in the United States
- All executions in 2005 were performed by lethal injection
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How it works
In the US, a sequence of 3 injections is involved. First, the executioner injects 5g Pentothol (sodium thiopental) to induce a coma. The second shot is of 100mg Pavulon (pancuronium bromide) and causes paralysis. The final injection is 100 mEq potassium chloride which stops the heart and causes death. -
Supreme Court rulings
Despite being seen as the most "humane" option, lethal injection has many critics. Studies suggest that some prisoners are inadequately sedated and suffocate in agony. In the United States, an informal moratorium was announced on lethal injection executions in September 2007. States feared that they could challenged on a constitutional level for imposing "cruel and unusual punishment" on convicts.However, on April 14, 2008, the Supreme Court decided lethal injection does not violate the constitution's ban on "cruel and unusual punishment." Virginia's governor immediately authorized that previously postponed executions resume.
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The Mahalo Top 7
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Economist.com: Capital punishment - The machinery of death
economist.com -
Washington Post: Va. Governor Reinstates Executions After Ruling
washingtonpost.com (April 16, 2008) -
Guardian Unlimited: Lethal injection not inhumane, rules US supreme court
guardian.co.uk (April 16, 2008) -
Wikipedia: Lethal Injection
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Howstuffworks: How Lethal Injection Works
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PLoS Medicine: Lethal Injection for Execution: Chemical Asphyxiation?
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Human Rights Watch: So Long as They Die: Lethal Injections in the United States
hrw.org
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Economist.com: Capital punishment - The machinery of death
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Lethal Injection on Amazon | View All
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American Justice: Lethal Injection [VHS] - $29.95
The case of Robert Diaz, a hospital worker accused of killing 12 patients by giving them an overdose of the common heart-regulating drug lidocaine. Diaz is on San Quentin's death row for his crimes, but maintains his innocence. New eviden...
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Lethal Injection: Capital Punishment in Texas during the Modern Era - $50.00
Few state issues have attracted as much controversy and national attention as the application of the death penalty in Texas. In the years since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Texas has led the nation in passing death sentences an...
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Lethal Injection on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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Instead of lethal injection can we Water Board Hasan to death.Hasan
@62seabee | November 12, 2009 10:28 PM -
beyond absurd - swabbing the area of injection for one who is to die by lethal injection?? can't have a dirty needle lawsuit now can we?!
@ireneabbott | November 12, 2009 10:06 PM -
It works for cough medicine, just skip a step & give cherry flavored lethal injection #WhyDoLastMealsExist
@EBednarsh | November 12, 2009 09:21 PM -
@DjSoulchild Punter: Play something good. Me: Such as? Punter: I don't know, you're the DJ! That's gotta be worth a lethal injection.
@djmarkdevlin | November 12, 2009 09:10 PM
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Questions and Answers About Lethal Injection | View All | Ask a Question
View All Lethal Injection Questions (39) | Ask a QuestionWhy do they sterilize needles for lethal injections? (1 Answer)Because medical-supply manufacturers don't sell anything but sterilized needles. read morebesides the needle stick, does lethal injection hurt? (1 Answer)If administered using the correct method and correct dosage, it is relatively painless. If not administered correctly, however, there can be some painful implications. The "cocktail" consists of three drugs. ... read moreHow young can a teenager should be to administer loopron injection birth control? (2 Answers)Hi Cha-Chi, That seems like a question for your family doc, gynae, or family planning clinic. However, be sure that you research your choice thoroughly before taking any form of ... read moreWhat are HCG injections? (2 Answers)It depends what you're using it for. hCG has been in the news lately because Manny Ramirez was caught cheating in baseball. During a drug test, hCG (or human chorionic ... read more
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