Execution is never humane

L.A. Times Archives

April 21, 2008 12 AM PT

Re “High court finds lethal injections are humane,” April 17

Is it just me, or is there something oxymoronic about the headline, “High court finds lethal injections are humane”?

Margaret Baker Davis

La Verne

Why not eliminate the subsequent litigation even the Supreme Court justices admit is likely to result from their lethal-injection ruling by switching to pills to administer the lethal drugs?

Putting a lethal dose of barbiturates in pills eliminates all the problems of using lethal injections -- finding a suitable vein, positioning the needle, being sure it doesn’t come out, using a syringe, problems with tubing crimping or clogging -- which can and apparently have caused excruciating pain.

John F. Banzhaf

Washington

The writer is a professor of public interest law at George Washington University Law School.

Gazing at this bold headline, my wife excitedly remarked, “High court finds lethal injections are humane.”

Then she read a little further and sounded disappointed, saying, “Oh, that’s for the death penalty.”

“What did you think it meant?” I asked.

“I thought it was for us. You know, for when we’re terminally ill and living a horrible life of excruciating pain.”

“No,” I answered. “The high court finds lethal injections for us inhumane.”

Randy Kemner

Long Beach

That a newspaper would have the occasion to publish the headline “High court finds lethal injections are humane” proves that our society is besotted by liberal insanity. Any child who’s had a vaccination can tell you that an injection is more “humane” than gassing, electrocution or hanging. We have surrendered rationality to those who call themselves judges and humanitarians and demonstrate it by spitting on the graves of the innocent victims of bestial predators.

Charles K. Sergis

Redondo Beach

Re “Debating death,” editorial, April 18

I applaud The Times for continuing your staunch stance against the death penalty. This country falls extremely short in leadership responsibility to most other countries in allowing this “anachronistic and inhumane punishment” to continue. I join you in calling on our lawmakers to abolish it.

Heidi Pickman

Oakland

State-sanctioned killing is barbaric, cruel and should be highly unusual. We should join the civilized countries of the world in eliminating it.

Joy Buckley

Los Angeles