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The Death Penalty: An Ethical Debate

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Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is an ongoing ethical debate that has been traced back to the beginning of the American colonies. The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. While there are many in support of it, there is also a large amount in opposition. Currently, there are thirty-one states in which the death penalty is legal and nineteen states that have abolished it.1 In addition, another controversial aspect of the death penalty is the means through which it is performed. Presently, the most popular method in which an execution is conducted is through intravenous administration of a lethal injection. The most common method of lethal injection uses a three-drug combination: an anesthetic, a paralytic …show more content…
For example, The American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Code of Medical Ethics prohibits involvement of physicians in executions; permitting only certification of death after someone else has declared it.4 These professions believe that capital punishment is a violation of their professional ethics. Pharmacists are the only group of healthcare providers that do not have a particular set of rules guiding their involvement in executions. This is a problem because it leaves pharmacists unsure of their roles in regards to lethal injections. As pharmacists fight for provider status, rules need to be put in place to distinguish that it is not morally ethical for them to participate in …show more content…
It is dedicated to the relief of disease and suffering of their patients. Participating in executions is a violation to the current goals of the pharmacy profession. The Hippocratic oath stresses the belief of “service to others,” “relief of suffering” and “optimal outcomes” in patients, all of which are opposing to participation in executions. In order to uphold the honesty and integrity of the Hippocratic oath, it is unjust for pharmacists to take part in the involuntary taking of ones

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