# capital punishment **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2006, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651 "2006-02-02T07:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/21 "2006-02-02T20:47:39Z")
Umm…I have to call myself on an “oopsie” here. Look at my post #17, and the last think I wrote, which was a link to a web site (titled “Here’s a quick summary of them”). I just read through that page, which I admit I should have done before, and found some things a little bit questionable or overdone. Nothing bad, but then I got to the bottom where it says: > [@](#): > > If a spacesuit ruptures, the occupant’s blood will boil right out of the body. I lost all faith in the page right there! I know better than this, and I humbly apologize to all of you. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/22 "2006-02-02T23:42:56Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not think society should ever view those it puts to death for a crime as a potential valuable commodity. Like it views car accident and brain aneurysm victims who happen to have organ donor cards, today? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/23 "2006-02-03T07:12:52Z")
I don’t remember the details, but I recall reading the account of an airplane hostage who was taken to the open door of the aircraft, shot in the back of the head by a terrorist and thrown out of the parked plane onto the tarmac. He survived his wounding and said he felt no pain; only a loud noise followed by an almost pleasant sensation of warmth in his head, then he blacked out. According to the article, he felt no pain because the brain contains no nerves capable of transmitting it. Therefore, I would think that the Chinese method of a bullet to the back of the head near the base of the skull (followed quickly by one or two more just to be sure) would likely accomplish the desired result. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/24 "2006-02-03T10:47:42Z")
> [@copperwindow](#): > > Well, if there’s lack of oxygen involved than the person suffocates, and that certainly is not free of pain. Does lack of oxygen actally happen? The symptoms of hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen in the blood, are: Blueing of the extremities (fingertips etc) Tingling feeling in fingers Feeling of euphoria Tendancy to become focussed on a single task Uncosciousness Coma Death So, it is not uncomfortable. In fact one of the problems with hypoxia is that you generally feel quite good and you don’t realise something is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/25 "2006-02-03T11:54:11Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not think society should ever view those it puts to death for a crime as a potential valuable commodity. Why not? There’s been cases of people on death row saying they want to give their organs to someone. In fact, one guy on death row recently IIRC actually lobbied to be hanged instead of lethal injection so he could give his liver to his dying mother. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/26 "2006-02-03T11:57:01Z")
One painless method would be for them to just put you under anesthesia. I’ve been put under before when I was a kid, and there was no pain at all. After a few seconds it was like going to sleep, and I woke up a bit confused and unsure of where I was at. While under the anesthetic they could then administer fatal drugs and be sure that the patient feels no pain since they were unconscious. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/27 "2006-02-03T12:20:11Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > One painless method would be for them to just put you under anesthesia. I’ve been put under before when I was a kid, and there was no pain at all. After a few seconds it was like going to sleep, and I woke up a bit confused and unsure of where I was at. > > While under the anesthetic they could then administer fatal drugs and be sure that the patient feels no pain since they were unconscious. thats pretty much what happens in the case of lethal injection … you get 3 different “Rx” … first is a anesthesia, so you blank out, second is a muscular relaxant, which relaxes your diaphragm (you basically stop breathing) … and then there is a 3rd one that IIRC makes your heart stop beating … the main problem seems to be that the whole IV application is done by amateurs (doc’s dont do it, due to their oath) **\<- anybody confirm this?** … and some kind of paramedic usually screws up, needing 45mins to find a vain, then the IV comes loose, etc… cheers alfred ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/28 "2006-02-03T12:27:43Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > thats pretty much what happens in the case of lethal injection … > > you get 3 different “Rx” … first is a anesthesia, so you blank out, second is a muscular relaxant, which relaxes your diaphragm (you basically stop breathing) … and then there is a 3rd one that IIRC makes your heart stop beating … > > the main problem seems to be that the whole IV application is done by amateurs (doc’s dont do it, due to their oath) **← anybody confirm this?** … and some kind of paramedic usually screws up, needing 45mins to find a vain, then the IV comes loose, etc… > cheers > alfred I’ve never known a doctor to put an IV in anywhere, that’s always been done by nurses in my experience. Also, the AMA does not specifically prohibit doctors from administering the drugs, however (they do not actually have the authority to do that) though they do argue that they should not participate. In general IV technicians insert the IVs, so they are trained to do it, and prison staff or private technicians who are trained in the use of the machines deliver the chemicals. A doctor is typically present to certify death. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/29 "2006-02-03T12:46:53Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s for blood donation. There is not a similar questionaire for most organ donations, primarily for the obvious reason that at time of donation, the donee is generally not in a condition to respond. Y’know, being dead and all. Ummm…did you read the post I was responding to? Chronos was specifically asking if prisoners would have difficulty passing the screening process for blood donations. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/30 "2006-02-04T09:25:17Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not think society should ever view those it puts to death for a crime as a potential valuable commodity. I do not think that a society should “throw away” perfectly good organs when people in need are dying. I find it hard to believe that a jury would convict and then sentence a person to death because of their organs. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/31 "2006-02-04T18:38:17Z")
> [@aeropl](#): > > I find it hard to believe that a jury would convict and then sentence a person to death because of their organs. I appreciate your opinion, but I think you miss the point. The issue is not that a jury would sentence a person to death so that his organs may be harvested. The issue is that a person is sentenced to death and that the state is empowered to take the life of the person. The state is only empowered to take the life. The question that should be asked, therefore, is should the state be allowed to take the life and usable organs of a person convicted of a crime. My feelings are that life is about the last thing you can take from someone. Anything that is left after the life has left the body still belongs to that person and should remain with him even though he is not using it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/32 "2006-02-05T01:21:41Z")
> [@Sgt Schwartz](#): > > My feelings are that life is about the last thing you can take from someone. Anything that is left after the life has left the body still belongs to that person and should remain with him even though he is not using it anymore. So, the objective of saving lives with a medical procedure is secondary to the right of a corpse to have his organs rot with him? The state has a right to send a prisoner to oblivion or Hell to deter crime and protect the innocent, but not to cut a few pounds of meat off a dead body? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/33 "2006-02-05T01:56:49Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > I’ve never known a doctor to put an IV in anywhere, that’s always been done by nurses in my experience. > > Also, the AMA does not specifically prohibit doctors from administering the drugs, however (they do not actually have the authority to do that) though they do argue that they should not participate. In general IV technicians insert the IVs, so they are trained to do it, and prison staff or private technicians who are trained in the use of the machines deliver the chemicals. A doctor is typically present to certify death. Aren’t the drugs in these IVs administered by technicians and nurses prescribed by doctors? And I have “read somewhere” that the lethal chemicals are also prescribed. mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/34 "2006-02-05T02:01:16Z")
By the way; A lot of folks need all their parts to go to heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/35 "2006-02-05T06:28:37Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > By the way; > A lot of folks need all their parts to go to heaven. What, like Charles Ng’s _biggest_ obstacle to getting into heaven will be making sure his pancreas is buried with him? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/36 "2006-02-05T06:37:05Z")
Why not kill prisoners in their sleep? Instead of making a big deal about their execution, have an officer sneak into their prison cell at night and get the job done. Quick, painless and a whole lot less worrying. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/37 "2006-02-05T08:01:13Z")
It is actually [hyperbolic chamber.](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30990) I think the plane idea is cruel. Then again, I don’t think there is any nice way to kill a man, unless it involves Pam Anderson, 3 gallons of ice cream and a badger. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/38 "2006-02-05T12:39:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not know for certain but somehow I doubt organ donors are given such thorough scrutiny. In many states in the US merely signing the back of your driver’s license makes you an organ donor. I doubt someone mere days from death are overly fussy about what heart they get. Sure, sign the back of your driver’s license, you’re volunteering to donate your organs. But they won’t be used unless the docs involved feel it will be worth the effort. Organ donors ARE screened for various infections such as HIV and hepatitis, and if found to have them, their organs aren’t used. Nor are the organs of cancer survivors used, as there is concern that stray cancer cells make be transplanted along with the organ. Someone days from death might not be too fussy, but the team involved in organ transplantation doesn’t want to go through the work and bother and use of resources only to have the patient die a few weeks or months later. (Then there’s the recent creepy inicident involving a donor who had rabies but nobody knew it, and all those who received organs from him died in a few months from rabies… but that’s wandering off topic) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/39 "2006-02-05T15:16:34Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > What, like Charles Ng’s _biggest_ obstacle to getting into heaven will be making sure his pancreas is buried with him? 😃 Exactly! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651/40 "2006-02-05T15:19:22Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > It is actually [hyperbolic chamber.](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30990) > I think the plane idea is cruel. Then again, I don’t think there is any nice way to kill a man, unless it involves Pam Anderson, 3 gallons of ice cream and a badger. I’d prefer the woman who lives across the street and three doors up from me, but I get the idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-punishment/342651.md?page=1)