The Role of Physicians in Executions. Can We Get Real?
Is there any reason whatsoever to involve doctors or nurses in executions? The December 27th St Petersberg Florida Times reports that the state of Florida has botched an execution and Governor Bush is trying to figure out what to do next. Whether you are pro or anti death-penalty (I am anti) there is no need to involve a doctor in killing prisoners. A trained executioner can do the job and ought to. There is no reason to lend the moral authority of medicine to state mandated killing.- Arthur Caplan
Labels: conscientious objection, execution
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I second the motion.
- by Wesley J. Smith on Jan 2, 2007 at 2:56 AM | link
As a nurse myself, it is a nurses and a physicians duty to better an individuals health status. This means that we do not and should not be apart of a task to takes one life intentionally. In some cases we do aid to take away pain and suffering as one dies of natural causes. I find this as my duty to take away the suffering but not to do so in a manner of execution.
- by Adam on Jan 24, 2007 at 2:13 PM | link
Just to start off I am anti-killing. I am a nurse who understands that we are to care, love and help the living.That statement goes for physicians also. The truth is whether people consider abortion a killing or not physicians and nurses assist in that process(that is another subject though). It is legal to kill a fetus and legal to kill a deathrow inmate. The question is should we involve the physicians? Why? Are there a lack of trained excutioners willing to kill? Why bring physicians into this situation? I say let the executioners deal with the killing and leave the curing to physicians.
- by Melissa S on Jan 25, 2007 at 1:29 PM | link