Kenneth Eugene Smith was allegedly involved in the 1988 Murder-For-Hire of a Pastor’s wife. The Alabama State has decided to bring him in for to the death chamber and suffocate him with nitrogen gas which will supplied through a facial mask. On Friday, in a federal appeal Kenneth’s attorney requested to not carry out this form of induced death. They stated that the accused has constitutional rights have been violated. The defence questioned the state’s new protocol for execution and said that it requires more scrutiny.
The use of nitrogen gas has been condemned by several medical professionals and veterinarians as its use on animals is prohibited as well. This penalty will be a capital punishment. The American Veterinary Medical Association referred to the use of nitrogen gas against animals “distressing” in 2020. They stated that euthanises most mammals.
“Could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international human rights law” said The United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The execution is intended to be conducted on January 25. This is a method not developed by scientists, it has been devised by officials elected. This new technique has been brought in to tackle with the problems faced by several states that depended on lethal injections.
The idea of a the use of nitrogen gas infusion first came in 2015. The Oklahoma State Legislature was the first state to authorise it due to the shortage of lethal injection’s composition (drugs). The then Governor Mary Fallin signed it into Law. State Representative, Mike Christian believed that the proposition was “revolutionary”.
Several questions have been raised to the brutality of this measure of induced death. An Associate Professor at the Emory University’s School of Medicine and an anaesthesiologist, Dr.Joel Zivot expressed his concern by saying “Alabama has a terrible track record, and so it would seem to be in the interest of the public and in the interest of justice for Alabama to produce its evidence as to why this method of execution is not cruel,”.
Critics have also been wondering if the other officials in the execution room would be at a risk in case of a gas leak. “Nitrogen is an inert gas and is in no way deadly. It’s the lack of oxygen that is the problem. So if they’re concerned, all they need to do is wear an oximeter to keep their oxygen levels under check. … But really all you have to do is make sure it’s a well-ventilated room because of the way that gas is dispersed” said Michael Copeland.
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