Tennessee state legislator calling for one-drug lethal injection protocol

In this op-ed a local paper, a prominent state representative in Tennessee calls for the state to move to a new lethal injection protocol in order to avoid having to wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Baze lethal injection case from Kentucky.  The piece is headlined “Governor should start executions now,” and here are excerpts:

The death penalty, when evenly applied, can and does serve as a means to deter horrific crimes from being committed and brings justice to the families of previous crime victims.  Unfortunately, since Gov. Bredesen has been in office, the death penalty has been anything but evenly applied….

After U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled in September that Tennessee’s method of lethal injection was unconstitutional, I, along with a colleague, sent two letters to the governor requesting that he not delay executions because of the ruling. We argued that in addition to other methods being available to the state, none other than Judge Trauger herself was also quoted as saying that the administration didn’t give enough consideration to the possibility of moving to the one-drug method of lethal injection.  In spite of this, the governor has decided to delay any executions pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case examining the death penalty.

As it stands now, this decision has stalled one execution and placed another in jeopardy….  By the time a criminal in this state reaches the point of execution, they have been afforded every opportunity — appeals, access to lawyers and judicial review — to ensure that their rights are properly carried out and protected. However, in typical style, these criminals have received even more opportunities under Gov. Bredesen’s watch.

In light of Judge Trauger’s ruling, it is time for Tennessee to explore other options, such as the one-drug method form of lethal injection that has not been challenged in any court. The governor has referred to the suggestion of examining the one-drug method of execution as a “red herring.” This couldn’t be further from the truth; rather, the one-drug method is a solution — and I believe it is one worth exploring.

The innocent and unfortunate victims of these heinous crimes deserve nothing less than for us to take a second look at the pain these heartless criminals have caused their families. So while Gov. Bredesen works to ensure a merry Christmas for death row inmates, my colleagues and I will continue to remember the victims’ families as they suffer through another Christmas without their loved ones.