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Alabama’s plan for nation’s first execution by nitrogen gas is ‘hostile to religion,’ lawsuit says (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 2 years ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

61 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Kenneth Eugene Smith’s execution would be the nation’s first using nitrogen gas.

Lawyers for a spiritual adviser to an Alabama inmate scheduled to be executed with nitrogen gas next month said in a complaint filed Wednesday that restrictions on how close the adviser can get to the inmate in the death chamber are “hostile to religion.”

The Rev. Jeff Hood, who plans to enter the death chamber to minister to Kenneth Eugene Smith, said the Alabama Department of Corrections asked him to sign a form acknowledging the risks and agreeing to stay 3 feet (0.9 meters) away from Smith’s gas mask. Hood, a death penalty opponent, said that shows there is a risk to witnesses attending the execution. He said the restrictions would also interfere with his ability to minister to Smith before he is put to death.

“They’ve asked me to sign a waiver, which to me speaks to the fact that they’re already concerned that things could go wrong,” Hood said in a telephone interview.

Smith’s execution would be the nation’s first using nitrogen gas. The nitrogen is planned be administered through the gas mask placed over Smith’s nose and mouth while he is strapped to a gurney in the death chamber normally used for lethal injections.

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[–] baggins@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Did he sign the waiver? This says he was asked to sign it.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

It's confusing because in interviews the priest is saying he was asked to sign it, but is leaving out that he already did.

But if you read the whole article, you'd have seen this bit buried below

The form, which Hood signed in order to attend Smith’s execution, gave an overview on the risk of nitrogen gas. It stated that in the “highly unlikely event that the hose supplying breathing gas to the mask were to detach, an area of free-flowing nitrogen gas could result, creating a small area of risk (approximately two feet) from the outflow.”

If he hasn't signed it, they could proceed without him.

So he signed it, and now the lawsuit is happening to stall the execution.

[–] baggins@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Seems to me the waiver is a completely separate issue anyway if the lawsuit is about whether he can properly do the ministry without touching the guy, not actually him accepting the risks of being around.