Audacious request from Oklahoma’s death row
Michael Hooper is concerned about feeling some pain next month when he’s executed by the state of Oklahoma.
Hooper’s attorney filed a lawsuit seeking to have the Aug. 14 execution halted because the Department of Corrections had only one remaining dose of pentobarbital, a barbiturate that would knock Hooper out before two other drugs are administered. Not having additional doses would be a problem if the first dose failed, the lawsuit said.
The suit also said prisoners executed via the same procedure as Oklahoma’s “have suffered immense pain and grievous suffering as a result of maladministration of three-drug protocols.”
Certainly, all efforts should be made to ensure that those put to death by the state are done so humanely. But when we read pleas like Hooper’s, we can’t help but laugh at their audacity. After all, the 23-year-old woman and two young children Hooper shot twice in the head had no say in how humanely they would meet their maker.
As for concerns about not having a backup supply of pentobarbital, Hooper can relax. This week the state found 20 more doses.
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He has his constitutional right to not be subject to cruel and unusual punishment. Besides, it is human nature to fight for one’s life, regardless of conviction. Your sarcasm, on the other hand, is quite ridiculous, really. Leaving the argument of the validity of capital punishment as a deterrant for crime and its constitutionality aside, your treatment of a person’s wish to live, especially as an organization who has the ability to frame our society’s debate and perceptions of this issue, is quite alarming. You should take your responsibility as a news organization with more seriousness and regard for whom you effect by your opinions.