Executions halted

St. Louis

A federal appellate judge this week ordered Missouri to suspend all executions until it develops a procedure for administering lethal injections that does not cause “unconstitutional pain and suffering.” The ruling came after “John Doe,” the physician who prepares and administers the injections, testified that he is dyslexic, frequently makes mistakes, and performs his duties with minimal oversight. The director of the Missouri Corrections Department testified that the last two times “Doe” injected condemned prisoners, he used half the amount of anesthetic mandated by Missouri’s current protocol. “It is obvious,” Judge Fernando Gaitan ruled, “that the protocol as it currently exists is not carried out consistently.” Illinois, New Jersey, and New York have also declared moratoriums on executions, in part because of concerns over lethal injections.

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