this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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Three top nitrogen gas manufacturers in US bar products from use in executions (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 8 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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Move follows Alabama’s recent killing of death row inmate Kenneth Smith using previously untested method

Three of the largest manufacturers of medical-grade nitrogen gas in the US have barred their products from being used in executions, following Alabama’s recent killing of the death row inmate Kenneth Smith using a previously untested method known as nitrogen hypoxia.

The three companies have confirmed to the Guardian that they have put in place mechanisms that will prevent their nitrogen cylinders falling into the hands of departments of correction in death penalty states. The move by the trio marks the first signs of corporate action to stop medical nitrogen, which is designed to preserve life, being used for the exact opposite – killing people.

The green shoots of a corporate blockade for nitrogen echoes the almost total boycott that is now in place for medical drugs used in lethal injections. That boycott has made it so difficult for death penalty states to procure drugs such as pentobarbital and midazolam that a growing number are turning to nitrogen as an alternative killing technique.

Now, nitrogen producers are engaging in their own efforts to prevent the abuse of their products. The march has been led by Airgas, which is owned by the French multinational Air Liquide.

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[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

3 things:

  1. It is not a good thing in the real world, because of how corrupt and incompetent governments are and can be. There isn't a benefit that could outweigh executing innocent people.
  2. In a hypothetical world where we are certain who is guilty, do whatever is more practical/convenient: If it is cheaper or better at deterring crime rate, execute them. If it is more practical to give them life in prison then do that.
  3. In the world we have where executions are happening, N2 is leagues better than any other method I heard of being used in practice. And there are many much more important issues to fix.
[–] BreakDecks@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

These are actually excellent examples as to why the death penalty is terrible and we shouldn't listen to the advocates for continuing this brutal practice.

#1 completely invalidates the practice by acknowledging that innocent people get killed by it. Amazing that you would make an "in the real world" argument as if that's not where we live.

#2 has plenty of real-world data to suggest that life in prison is cheaper and more practical than the death penalty in ~100% of cases, further invalidating the practice as useful or economical.

#3 is just a devil's advocate argument about a society that currently practices execution, and I have zero interest in a "if we must kill people" argument, because I absolutely have no tolerance for the state having the power to decide that its own citizens must die. Humoring that is complicity in murder afiac.

In all you didn't answer my question because there is no valid purpose for execution than to satisfy bloodlust and to give the state ultimate authority over its people.

[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I did answer your question, you just assume like so many people that because I disagree with you on some points, I must be a contrarian who disagrees with everything.

I do not support the death penalty. I came here to defend N2 because after giving it a lot of thought, N2 would be my preferred method of euthanasia if I needed it.

As for point 2 and 3, I am just saying it would be a bit better to ban it. But there are literally hundreds of more important things to care and lobby about like Gaza, school shootings, healthcare, mental health, police violence ,... All much more important than a handful of convicted murderers being executed.

Just reforming the legal system to maybe not have 4% of the largest incarcerated population in the world be innocent would do a lot more good.