Death Penalty Controversy Essay

1176 Words5 Pages

The Controversy Over the Death Penalty:
Opposing Opinions on Capital Punishment in the United States

“It is just like going to sleep.” This is the way the lethal injection is being described to prisoners on death row. Unfortunately, it will be a while before the injection itself can be put to rest. The death penalty is a very controversial subject in the United States, and is argued whether it is a cruel and inhumane punishment, or just what the offender deserves.What is right? What is wrong? The death penalty is being “given out” more and more; since the list for capital punishment is growing. Cost, supplies, and the large number of people being executed are just a few issues associated with capital punishment. A very sensible solution …show more content…

Another reason why the death penalty should be abolished, or at least taken into great consideration, is the fact that Americans are spending too much money and time on the injected drug. The drug used for the lethal injection is actually made up out of three different substances. An anesthetic, which is named pentobarbital, Pavulon, a drug that makes the subject’s body go into paralysis, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart from functioning. The reason that this “concoction” is being put into felon’s bodies is because the usual drug was supplied by Britain. Unfortunately, when Britain attained the knowledge that their drug was being used for the death penalty purpose they no longer shipped it to the US. Scientists then had to make their own injection after Hospira, an American owned pharmaceutical company announced that they would no longer be producing the anesthetic drug used in most death penalty injections. This meant that the America had to hurry and find more suppliers. As supplies began to run out, and companies stopped selling their drug America entered a murky period of buying from third party sellers who were not as reliable or safe. Jennifer Morena from the Death Penalty Clinic at University of California says, "States are now buying drugs from illegal sources, ordering new ones from compounding pharmacies or