Alan Miller shook and trembled on gurney after becoming second person to be executed by controversial technique
Alabama has carried out the second execution in the US using the controversial method of nitrogen gas, an experimental technique for humans that veterinarians have deemed unacceptable in the US and Europe for the euthanasia of most animals.
Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead on Thursday evening at a south Alabama prison. The lethal method involves being strapped to a gurney, where a respirator mask is applied to the face and pure nitrogen piped in. The resulting oxygen deprivation will cause death by asphyxia.
Miller shook and trembled on the gurney for about two minutes with his body at times pulling against the restraints, followed by about six minutes of gasping breathing, according to the Associated Press.
Miller’s death is the latest in an extraordinary week in the US in which five condemned men in five states are set to be killed over six days. Three prisoners have already been executed – on Friday South Carolina killed Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah in its first execution in 13 years, then on Tuesday Texas killed Travis Mullis and Missouri put to death Marcellus Williams.
So he went through eight minutes at least of pain and panic? Sure sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Although the idea that Alabama killed a man using a method considered too brutal to kill animals with does seem fitting.
No. With the notable exception of rodents, animals generally can’t detect oxygen deficiency directly (though they may get loopy).
Nitrogen asphyxiation basically makes you loopy, then unconscious, then dead. It’s experientially equivalent to exposure to normal air at extremely high altitudes. Military pilots are often exposed to this (in a controlled manner) precisely because it’s so hard to recognize, and doesn’t induce fear. Like, epic levels of hard to recognize, as in “Hey Bob, it’s time to put your mask back on to keep you from dying!” Bob: snickers and clearly thinks this is a great joke, until the person straps his mask back on, and he realizes how serious the situation is
You can make a trough for a (non-starved) pig that constantly releases nitrogen gas (which it breathes as it’s eating). The pig puts his head in the trough to eat, then passes out from lack of oxygen (this pulling it’s snout out of the trough), then is like “what was I doing? Oh look, food…” …and goes right back to it, passing out again.
This is completely different from the reaction to carbon dioxide asphyxiation, which the body has sensors for, and induces all kinds of panic. Try the same trough experiment with a pig using carbon dioxide, and it will stay the fuck away from the evil trough of death.
Multiple reports from observers of this execution method: it’s horrible, they thrash around on the gurney and seem to suffer greatly
This guy: nuh uh.
They’re not doing it correctly. The person needs to be cooperative and able to follow instructions, and they need to be using a specific type of mask that vents their breath with the carbon dioxide out.
You can watch Destin from Smarter Every Day almost die on camera* due to hypoxia.
I’ll go looking for the link.
Obviously watch the whole video but start at 5:27 (ends around 7:30) for the moment. Watching this freaks me the fuck out every time.
YT Link
*He was in a safe environment
Holy shit. I assumed we would have minutes not seconds if a plane depressurized. I understand what that would freak you the fuck out.
Nitrogen asphyxiation may not be unpleasant, but being executed certainly causes duress.
If the method of execution takes 8 minutes, and makes you “loopy” during that time, while contemplating your impending death, then that’s cruel in my opinion.
In my opinion, if you’re going to execute someone then brevity and certainty must surely be required to make it humane.
Imagine them hanging you upside down trying to find a vein for legal injection and being unable to do so for 2 hours. A firing squad would be better in many ways.
Firstly, death causes twitching. And it’s not fucking pretty. Most animals, humans included, have a very wide array of stuff that their body does even after they are fully unconscious. It’s not at all surprising that bystanders were freaked out, even in ideal circumstances.
You should really look into apoxia. When done right (and I’m not arguing that the execution in the article was done right), it’s a minute, maybe two. And that’s probably less time than you’d spend on a firing line.
The reality is that there simply is no “perfect” way to kill someone who doesn’t want to die. We could give them a choice, possibly, but will they even choose?
Nitrogen asphyxiation, done right, is humane. There is no pain. But one way or the other, the person’s gonna know it’s happening, no matter the method used to execute them.
Again, none of this is to condone execution as a consequence of crime. I don’t think the state is qualified to make the call.
No. Perhaps that they are doing it is horrifying, but the way is very humane. It is literally getting loopy and falling asleep, over a very short time period.
It is literally getting loopy and falling asleep, over a very short time period.
Maybe read what ACTUALLY happens in stead of regurgitating what WOULD happen under ideal circumstances ffs!
Yeah if you’re cooperative and able to breathe all the way out then deep breathe those first few breaths it’s actually the ideal way to go. You do also have to not have COPD or chronic bronchitis or another disorder that’s swapped your breathing drive to oxygen deficiency instead of carbon dioxide excess. The rising CO2 / blood acidity from re-breathing the same air you put out is actually what causes the anxiety / panic of suffocation for most otherwise healthy people, not the oxygen drop. So if they were using a nonrebreather mask and doing this as compassionate euthenasia for terminal illness for people able to cooperate it would actually be one of the better methods.
When done correctly, i.e. full immersion with proper removal of CO2, then it is humane. The current technique does not remove CO2 from the mask, meaning the victim chokes to death and knows they are choking the entire time.
Since when is 8 minutes of fighting against your restraints and desperately gasping for air “a very short time period?”
Being strangled to death with a piece of rope would take less time than that. A proper chokehold with your bare hands to deny oxygen to the brain would’ve killed him in about a minute.
I agree that nitrogen can be used for a peaceful euthanasia. Definitely not the way they are doing it though.
There’s lots of people arguing that you require a cooperative person. But you could just put the person to sleep with an injection first, then strap them to the gurney, then slide them into a tank and just pump stuff in and stuff out. I think it’s the cruelty that keeps it cruel. Those people in charge are as heartless as the cop waiting by the 20mph sign next to the school that happens to have been placed next to the freeway entrance.17mph, you’re good, 21mph… are you white? If not you’re getting a ticket. It’s best done right in front of your own kids. Cruelty is what it is all about.
The problem with that is, no anesthesiologist will work on an execution (something about “do no harm”), and properly sedating someone without one is more difficult than it appears to be.
Probably not that hard if you don’t care if the patient survives.
¯\(ツ)/¯
“Pro life”…
Humans are awful.
They’re not doing it correctly to be used as euthenasia. You need:
a) a person without COPD, chronic bronchitis, or any other disorder that has swapped their drive to breathe away from increased blood carbon dioxide / acidity and towards oxygen deficiency (fun fact, oxygen deficiency isn’t what drives most people to breathe).
b) a cooperative person who can follow instructions to breathe out fully then take 2-3 full deep breaths
c) a nonrebreather mask which is a special mask with an outlet valve so that when they breathe out that air with all the carbon dioxide is vented while the nitrogen continues being pumped in. (Edit: This is if they’re alone in a room or somewhere with excellent ventilation, or the nitrogen would be vented as well after a certain point and could harm the observers, that’s why the sarcopod is a pod).
Sounds like they’re fine on A, but not doing B or C.
So does B make this basically a non-starter? Seems like you’re never going to get someone to cooperate with this (not that I blame them).
Yep. It’s fine for euthanasia but humane execution is impossible because of the extreme drive to survive in humans.
So the problem being they’re probably holding their breath which keeps the c02 in which causes the panic and fighting.
No, the cruelty is the point, as per standard procedure. The people who do this sort of shit enjoy killing people and the fucked up US “justice” system lets them do it legally.
