A national physicians organization has quietly decided to revoke the certification of any member who participates in executing a prisoner by lethal injection.
The mandate from the American Board of Anesthesiologists reflects its leaders’ belief that “we are healers, not executioners,” said board secretary Mark Rockoff. The anesthesiologists’ group is the first to say it will harshly penalize a health care worker for abetting lethal injections.
About half of the 35 states performing executions require a doctor to be present. In some jurisdictions, anesthesiologists consult prison officials on dosages. In others, they insert catheters and infuse the three-drug cocktails.
Under the policy, which the group’s 40,000 members learned about in February, any of these activities could lead to a loss of certification.
