Medical Associations Say No to the Death Penalty

This week, one major American medical association took a stand against the death penalty.

The American Board of Anesthesiologists has informed its 40,000 members that they will lose their certification if they work with states to end a prisoner's life. While it's possible to get a medical license without certification, most hospitals require it. So this move should hopefully discourage doctors from participating in executions.

Though the Board's move is the most dramatic one I've yet seen, it's joined by other medical groups that have likewise voiced their disgust at the practice. The American Medical Association, for example, doesn’t mince words about its view: the AMA says that assisting in an execution violates the fundamental medical credo to “first, do no harm.” (The AMA, though, doesn't prescribe specific sanctions against doctors who do deliver a lethal injection.) The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians has a similar policy.

The Washington Post reports that about half of the country's 35 death penalty states require a doctor to be present when the execution is carried out. Others consult doctors on doses and then put the syringe in the hands of a prison employee.

One doctor, who has consulted with prison officials on dosages, told the Post: "It sure will deter me. For the ABA to threaten to pull your board certification is a big deal."

Killing a man ain’t so easy, it turns out, and even doctors have been botching the job recently. Both the drawn-out 2006 execution of Angel Nieves Diaz in Florida and the failed execution of Romell Broom in Ohio last year involved doctor supervision.

The ABA’s bold leadership on this issue will help to further erode capital punishment in this country. Not only does this announcement make it harder for states to successfully kill prisoners, it also makes it clear that when the government decides to deliver a lethal injection, they're crossing an unconscionable moral line.

Photo Credit: Sarah G