Do execution headaches impact where capital debates are headed?

These are heady times for botched executions: as detailed here, the recent ugly hanging in Iraq continues to make headlines; as detailed here, condemned prisoners in the US continue to make headway arguing that lethal injection protocols are unconstitutional.  But I continue to wonder whether all the execution headaches will in any way impact where debates over the death penalty may be headed.

Are heads of state influenced by these developments or are they too headstrong to be influenced by all the headlines?  Do botched executions shine a headlight on broader death penalty issues or do they provide little reason to stall a headlong pursuit of capital justice?