Pfizer Blocks the Use of Its Drugs in Executions

[mustikas]

The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Friday that it had imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections, a step that closes off the last remaining open-market source of drugs used in executions.

More than 20 American and European drug companies have already adopted such

Comments

[ivegotanlj]

In California, everyone sentenced to the death penalty automatically got their case sent to the District Court of Appeals. That process alone is more expensive than life in prison. It's no longer an option since it was ruled unconstitutional a few years ago.

I can't imagine how much money in time and resources other states have spent defending the death penalty. Nothing about the system makes sense financially, and I stay surprised that that doesn't resonate with fiscal conservatives.

[screamingintune]

we should get rid of the death penalty, there's no place for it in any civilized society imo

[thelilyqueen]

I agree. I'll admit, there are certain crimes I could see as deserving of death... but I do not trust a group of falliable human beings to determine who's guilty of them, or that our government should be empowered to kill its own citizens.

[screamingintune]

I agree. The justice system is nowhere near objective.

[thelilyqueen]

Yup. I'm reminded of an analysis of that song from The Hunger Games.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree?
They strung up a man
They say who murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

I didn't see this myself, but this analysis pointed out the lyric 'they say' as potentially implying more than just a mistaken conviction, that it might've been a full on framing/setup by someone in power.

[lightframes]

Since Utah chooses to have a death penalty, “we have to have a means of carrying it out,” said State Representative Paul Ray as he argued last year for authorization of the firing squad.

What year is this?

research shows, he believes, that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime.

No it doesn't.

I think the death penalty is on its way out. The government shouldn't be killing citizens, ever (including using drone strikes).

[thelilyqueen]

I do think public sentiment against it is rising, but whether or not it is in the US is sort of beside the point in this decision. These are mostly global corporations, and they'll happily have our death penalty supporters feel put out if it means they aren't going to be getting flack from the long list of other countries they operate in that have abolished it.

[thelilyqueen]

It's probably hard to say for sure one way or the other. To clarify, I wasn't necessarily talking about outright boycotts in other countries as much as it being negative press/bad for the overall corporate image when they're trying to look like good guys.