Lethal Injection Case Study
In an effort to defend the position that physicians should administer lethal injections in states where the death penalty is still applied, it is important to understand considerations like these should be made on a case by case basis. Personally, I would be a little biased towards a victim who was a sociopathic criminal and displayed no traces of remorse after committing multiple murders. I believe in weighing the good and the bad. The amount of “bad” associated with such an individual definitely would outweigh the “good” in this specific case. Both ethical and legal considerations necessitate that licensed physicians administer lethal injections to inmates on death row. There is a high risk involved if executions were performed without the involvement of medical professionals. Procedurally, during a lethal injection, the inmate must be put to
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This role extends to the time of a person’s death, making a physician’s involvement instrumental in the humane administration of a lethal injection. The risks outlined above may be avoided, and inmates put to death in the most humane way possible consistent with both the U.S. Constitution and the role of physicians, by ensuring that properly licensed physicians handle the administration of the lethal injection. While it may be the least painful method of execution, it still goes against the Hippocratic Oath. As a physician who swore to do no harm, my only responsibility would be easing the suffering. And, in the event that physicians refused to participate in administering lethal injections during executions, there will be a fear that the criminal may have to undergo another procedure which would be harsher and more painful. In order to avoid harsher procedures for the victim, physicians should administer lethal injection in states where the death penalty is still
This role extends to the time of a person’s death, making a physician’s involvement instrumental in the humane administration of a lethal injection. The risks outlined above may be avoided, and inmates put to death in the most humane way possible consistent with both the U.S. Constitution and the role of physicians, by ensuring that properly licensed physicians handle the administration of the lethal injection. While it may be the least painful method of execution, it still goes against the Hippocratic Oath. As a physician who swore to do no harm, my only responsibility would be easing the suffering. And, in the event that physicians refused to participate in administering lethal injections during executions, there will be a fear that the criminal may have to undergo another procedure which would be harsher and more painful. In order to avoid harsher procedures for the victim, physicians should administer lethal injection in states where the death penalty is still