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Connecticut Lethal Injection May Violate the Constitution

Michael Ross is scheduled to die on Jan. 26 by lethal injection, a process the state describes as humane but some doctors say could be excruciatingly painful. According to the protocols developed by the state Department of Correction, Ross will be injected shortly after 2 a.m. through a catheter and intravenous line with a sedative called thiopental sodium. That will be followed by the injection of the paralyzing agent pancuronium bromide that will stop his breathing. Finally, a dose of potassium chloride will stop his heart. It's almost identical to the procedure used in several other states, including Texas, where 23 people were executed in 2004. The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut lost a battle this month to argue in U.S. District Court that Connecticut's protocols amount to torture or cruel and unusual punishment. In an affidavit prepared in the case, an anesthesiologist from Columbia University outlined what he considers serious flaws in this state's system. Among other things, Dr. Michael Heath says the dose of sedative Ross will receive is so low that Ross could wake up during the execution if the drugs are not administered properly. "He would then regain consciousness only to find himself paralyzed by pancuronium and then experiencing the agony of intravenous concentrated potassium injection," Heath wrote. The state plans to use a dose of 2,500 milligrams of thiopental, which is considered a short-acting barbiturate. The federal government, by comparison, uses twice that amount. Texas uses 3 grams. [more]