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Ohio Lawmakers Searching for a Doctor to Help Execute Prisoner

by Barbara McPherson | October 26, 2009 at 06:07 pm

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In the aftermath of the botched execution of Romell Broom in Ohio, lawmakers are searching for a doctor to help execute prisoners sentenced to death. It would seem that the Hippocratic Oath which demands that the physician "do no harm" interferes with deliberately injecting poisons.

According to an AP report, on Friday, Ohio’s Attorney General Richard Cordray filed a brief with a federal District Court explaining that “ethical and professional considerations are deterring doctors and others from offering advice about lethal injection.”

Apparently, due to this difficulty, Ohio now has judges, police and lawmakers helping to find some medical professionals who are willing to take their ethical obligations less seriously and give the state the help it needs to resume killing.

Romell Broom was convicted of the rape and murder of a 14 year old child. He has been awaiting execution since the 80s. I have no knowledge of the details of his case.

Executing criminals for their terrible crimes does cut down on repeat offenses, but what happens when you execute the innocent. It happens, sometimes that the innocent are convicted of crimes they did not commit. In Canada, we have recently acquitted a man held in jail for 14 years on a conviction for the death of a young woman. Recent advances in DNA techniques have proved that he was not the killer.

The ban on the death penalty in the United States was overturned in 1976. The 35 states that still have the death penalty have executed more than 1 000 people. Around the world, 137 countries have abolished the death penalty for even the most horrific crimes.

NP reporters have covered the attempted execution of Romell Broom.

Romell Broom Execution on Hold Over Unsuitable Veins

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

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jazzyzazzy

at 18:21 on October 26th, 2009

Doctors are healers,not killers.The goverment passing the baton again.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 21:23 on October 26th, 2009

Thanks for this, Barb. Opposed to the death penalty, I would just like to bring your attention to:

"Executing criminals for their terrible crimes does [not] cut down on repeat offenses,...".

Thanks again!

The_Cynic

at 21:31 on October 26th, 2009

Add to that, innocent people are put to death and there is no parole for those who are dead. A certain Texas law-maker/representative is seeing what it is like on the other side of the coin for not stopping the killing of an alleged innocent man.

That is State sponsored murder.

The DNA debate doesn't come into this either - that has been proven to be inaccurate as some can create DNA and present it as conclusive evidence even though the person was on the other side of the world - with ease.