Deborah Denno comments to The Gainesville Sun about the Florida Department of Corrections’ plan to use a lethal injection drug that had never been used before in executions, raising ethical concerns by legal experts throughout the nation.
Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University in New York who has studied lethal injection procedures in the U.S., said that the drug companies have more to gain than lose by discontinuing sales to prisons.
“These drugs are not money-makers for companies, so I think it’s not worth it to a manufacturer to get embroiled in a process that could have a negative impact on other drug sales,” Denno said.
She added that it’s possible — and there’s even been some indication — that the drugs could be acquired by prison hospitals for surgeries and then used for executions.
Some states, such as Texas, are getting pentobarbital from compounding pharmacies. But no states apart from Florida have switched to Versed, which is normally used as a sedative before surgery and has never been used in an execution.
“These drugs weren’t made to kill people … they were made with another purpose in mind. It’s unknown how they’re going to work,” Denno said.
Denno added that the drug is a backup in Ohio, “but it’s very controversial because no one knows how it’s going to work.”
“The more injections you have, the more risk for error,”Denno added.
Denno added that the same paralytic used to execute people cannot be used to euthanize animals.
“Vet standards are very strict. … (the paralytic agent) would be considered cruel,” Denno said.
“It’s striking how haphazard (paralytic drug usage) is and how little oversight (there is) in using it in human beings,” Denno said.
Denno called Florida’s use of the drug reckless.
“You are not seeing other states do this. Florida is acting alone,” Denno said. “When states act alone in this, that’s a risky venture.”
Read the entire Gainesville Sun story.
