Across the country, states are facing lawsuits from drug manufacturers who do not want their product used in the execution process.
As state governments have become increasingly desperate to secure lethal injection drugs, many have attempted to shroud the process in secrecy to prevent the general public and even the suppliers from knowing what drugs are being used.
These actions not only present freedom of association issues, they are also a very clear sign that the market has spoken. The death penalty is bad for business, and manufacturers, which have often spent millions of dollars and many years to bring a medication to the market, do not want their product damaged by the country’s appalling death penalty system.
The Los Angeles Times reports, “The drugmakers’ basic argument is that they create and market their products to alleviate suffering and heal the sick. Using them to kill runs counter to their intent, stigm
July 24, 2014 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP), a national network of conservatives and libertarians questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles, issued the following statement by Marc Hyden, Advocacy Coordinator:
“After last night’s botched execution in Arizona and the national spate of executions marred by mistakes, it appears that the government cannot execute someone without committing serious errors. This is a perfect example of why an inherently fallible system run by human beings must be limited especially when the system is veiled in secrecy. The execution in Arizona, much like many botched executions predating it, was problematic from early on, including secretly obtained drugs and untested, experimental protocols. Conservatives are right to be wary of a government acting in secrecy, which may well be covering up its own mistakes and abuse. This is not the transparent government that we demand.”
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Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punish
