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Nitrogen Hypoxia is a Painless Way to Apply the Death Penalty
Kenny Smith didn’t struggle against the gas, he struggled against the mask.
I oppose the death penalty for many reasons, but the primary reason is that it doesn’t actually solve any problems or make anyone whole again. The death penalty doesn’t require or inspire any inquisition as to the true cause of a crime. But if a state insists on using using the death penalty to deter crime, nitrogen hypoxia is the most humane, least painful way to execute someone.
This article is in response to the criticism leveled at the state of Alabama for inflicting the death penalty by nitrogen gas. And I’m not advocated for the State of Alabama or the death penalty. Some of the claims are wild and specious. Most of them speak of the way Kenny Smith writhed before he died. But the pain experienced by Kenny Smith was wrongly associated with nitrogen asphyxiation.
Exit International is an organization dedicated helping people choose when and where to end their lives, in peace and with dignity. It was founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke in 1997. Dr. Nitschke is a proponent of something called, The Sarcopod. The Sarcopod is designed to help people end their lives peacefully and with dignity. And it does it with nitrogen gas.
