AS AN ANAESTHESIOLOGIST and intensive care doctor for more than 25 years, I know how difficult it can be to get a vein. As part of any routine anaesthetic, putting a drip into a vein and making sure it is where it’s meant to be, is vital. It is the only way of ensuring that any medication needed will be effective.

The botched attempt to end the life of Christa Pike in the US state of Tennessee points to medication not administered correctly to the convicted murderer. Media reports described her as being strapped to a trolley while querying why her arm felt strange. The attempt was abandoned after more than an hour, and the US state has paused further executions. She is now awake as the sedative medication has worn off.

Executions in the US are not a rare event. There has been an average of 25 each year since 2021, placing them firmly in the list of countries that continue to use the death penalty. More than 50 countries retain the death penalty in law, with some reserving it for specific circumstances such as the deliberate killing of a police officer. Countries where execution is carried out include China, Iran, Yemen and the US. No country in the EU allows the death penalty.

The........

© TheJournal