Lethal Injection and Medical Ethics

"Washington prison doctor resigns over executions," is from the December 25th Seattle Times.

The head doctor of the Washington Department of Corrections says two professional groups support his decision to resign rather than be involved in an execution because of medical ethics.

Dr. Marc Stern told The Olympian newspaper that using doctors to prepare for an execution is unethical, adding that the American Medical Association and the Society of Correctional Physicians oppose doctor involvement in executions.

Stern says the only way he could find to take himself out of the execution plan for convicted murderer Darold Ray Stenson was to resign. The execution had been scheduled for December but has been postponed for at least three months.

Stern supervised about 700 people in prisons and other corrections facilities statewide. He said at least one of the people he supervised had been involved in execution preparations at the Washington State Penitentiary near Walla Walla.

He told his superiors that he objected to his division's involvement in execution preparations, but no solution was found, he said.

And:

Stern wasn't with the agency last time an execution was conducted in Washington, the lethal injection of James Homer Elledge on Aug. 28, 2991, and his position expanded three years ago to include administrative authority over health workers, he said. In previous executions, penitentiary medical staff reported to the prison superintendent.

The lethal injection index is here.  Ethical issues in physician participation of executions are noted in:

• An Absolute: Doctors Don't Kill
• Toxic Tinkering
• Ethical Implications of Modifying Lethal Injection Protocols
• AP Interview with Dr. Alan Doerhoff