The ethical issue mostly in question is whether or not the punishment is humane and if it should still be actively practiced because of these issues. There have historically been many political disagreements about how exactly the word ‘humane’ is defined and whether or not capital punishment falls into the guidelines the word holds. Many have also pointed to the Eighth Amendment as applying to the death penalty which prohibits the federal government from imposing any punishment that could be considered “cruel and unusual punishment.” Almost all proposed solution to this discrepancy hold merit but along with merit comes extensive analysis and the extremely pressing life or death situation that the nation is currently holding on its shoulders.
