Why some critics are so horrified by Alabama's new execution method

Nitrogen hypoxia has been deemed 'unacceptable' for pet euthanasia

inmate in Alabama penal system
Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images
(Image credit: Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images)

When Alabama's Republican Gov. Kay Ivey issued a temporary moratorium on capital punishment in her state in 2022, she insisted that "for the sake of the victims and their families, we've got to get this right." Getting it right, in this case, meant addressing Alabama's record of botched executions — including that of convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith, who days earlier had survived an attempt at lethal injection after officials reportedly "couldn't find a suitable vein to inject the lethal drugs." 

Nearly a year later — and decades after a judge placed him on death row, overruling a jury decision to sentence Smith to life in prison — Alabama officials have requested a new execution date, when they plan to eschew lethal injection and become the first state to kill a prisoner via nitrogen hypoxia.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.