In Aftermath of Failed Execution, Ohio Governor Orders Postponement of 2 Others

[groovedaddy]

CINCINNATI — In continuing fallout from a failed execution last month, Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday postponed two other executions to give corrections officials more time to revise lethal injection procedures.

The announcement came just hours after a federal appeals court indefinitely delayed one of those executions, which had been scheduled for Thursday, because of similar concerns about procedures.

The state is looking into backup procedures in case the standard execution techniques fail, as they did on Sept. 15, when technicians at the state prison in Lucasville tried for over two hours to maintain an intravenous connection in order to inject Romell Broom with lethal drugs for the abduction, rape and murder of a teenage girl in 1984. A hearing to consider whether Mr. Broom can be executed in conformity with constitutional requirements is scheduled for Nov. 30.

“More research and evaluation of backup or alternative procedures is necessary before one or more can be selected,” Mr. Strickland said in his order.

The state expects to have backup procedures in place in time to execute another inmate, Kenneth Biros, on Dec. 8, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/us/06ohio.html?th&emc=th

[hlthe2b]

1. God... this is horrendous to contemplate--what lengths they may go

Will they do a vascular cut-down? Inject directly into the heart? Uggh. (admittedly I am anti-death penalty, but even if you are in favor, it is horrendous to think what untrained non-medical professionals may opt to do.