Most states use three drugs during execution by lethal injection: The first is supposed to anesthetize inmates; the second paralyzes them; the third stops the heart. For decades, states have claimed that lethal injection is quick, peaceful and painless. Legal battles across the country — and an NPR investigation — tell a far different story (article available here).
A review of more than 200 autopsies — obtained through public records requests — showed signs of pulmonary edema, , which can induce the feeling of suffocation or drowning, in 84% of the cases. The findings were similar across the states and, notably, across the different drug protocols used. Doctors who spoke with NPR about the findings also raised serious concerns that many inmates are not being properly anesthetized and are therefore feeling the suffocating and drowning sensation brought on by pulmonary edema.
The findings come at a time when death penalty states are already facing scrutiny over drug shortages, untrained execution personnel and a series of high-profile botched executions.