"Gov. Nixon halts execution citing concerns over drug," is the Springfield News-Leader report with Associated Press information.
Citing concerns about a drug used in lethal injection, Gov. Jay Nixon has halted the scheduled execution of Allen Nicklasson.
Nicklasson was scheduled to be executed on Oct. 23. In announcing the decision, Nixon said issues have been raised regarding the use of propofol.
The drug is a sedative used in surgeries. But it can also be used as part of an execution by lethal injection.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Department of Corrections said it will return its supply of propofol made by the German company Fresenius Kabi.
The Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists has come out against the use of the drug in executions. The death penalty is banned in much of Europe and had European propofol been used in a Missouri execution, shipments of the drug to the U.S. for medical purposes may have been threatened.
Missouri still holds domestically-manufactured propofol.
“I have further directed the (Department of Corrections) to modify the State of Missouri’s Execution Protocol to include a different form of lethal injection,” Nixon said in a statement today.
St. Louis Public Radio posts, "Execution Using Controversial Drug Halted By Missouri Governor, Requires Different Injection Method," by Kelsey Proud.
Here's Nixon's full statement:
“As Governor, my interest is in making sure justice is served and public health is protected. That is why, in light of the issues that have been raised surrounding the use of propofol in executions, I have directed the Department of Corrections that the execution of Allen Nicklasson, as set for October 23, will not proceed. I have further directed the Department to modify the State of Missouri’s Execution Protocol to include a different form of lethal injection. The Attorney General will immediately request a new execution date for Allen Nicklasson from the Missouri Supreme Court.”
The Governor's response to the situation is a departure from his statement at the beginning of the week. On Monday, Nixon told reporters that the state would carry out its executions as scheduled, provided the courts didn’t intervene.
"Nixon postpones execution over questions about lethal injection drug," is by Jeremy Kohler for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has postponed the execution of murderer Allen Nicklasson because of questions raised about the state's plan to use a lethal dose of propofol, a common surgical anesthetic.
In a statement emailed to a reporter, Nixon wrote: “As Governor, my interest is in making sure justice is served and public health is protected. That is why, in light of the issues that have been raised surrounding the use of propofol in executions, I have directed the Department of Corrections that the execution of Allen Nicklasson, as set for October 23, will not proceed."
Nixon said he had directed the department to modify the execution prototol to include a different form of lethal injection, and said Attorney General Chris Koster would request a new execution date for Nicklasson.
The governor's announcement comes two days after the Department of Corrections said it would return to a supplier some of the propofol it had planned to use for lethal injections. The department's comments that day left it unclear whether the action would have any effect on two executions scheduled this fall.
The supplier of the drug, Morris & Dickson, of Shreveport, La., had pleaded with the state to return 20 vials of propofol, which it shipped to Missouri by mistake.
The company said the shipment violated its agreement with the manufacturer, Fresenius Kabi, of Germany, not to provide the drug for capital punishment. Propofol is a common anesthetic used in health care settings.
Earlier coverage of Missouri lethal injection issues begins at the link.
Related posts are in the international and lethal injection indexes.
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