Tell U.S. Congress to Outlaw Untested Lethal Injection Chemicals

This year, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) reported that the number of executions dropped, and that public support for the death penalty was the lowest it has been in 40 years. In 2013, Maryland became the sixth state to abolish the death penalty. Most 2013 executions, the study found, were carried out in the South.

Lack of available, approved drugs was one of the reasons for fewer executions in 2013. Many lethal injection drugs are manufactured in Europe, where death penalty opposition has resulted in a ban on exporting drugs used for executions.

This has not stopped states like Florida and Ohio from executing prisoners. Rather than using regulated, approved injection drugs, states took it upon themselves to decide how to conduct executions. Except for two instances in Florida, all lethal injections in 2013 were performed with a drug called pentobarbital, whether alone or along with cother drugs. Florida administered a never-before-used drug called midazolam hydrochloride, even though state and federal courts have yet to review the process. Some states are also making their own small-batch drugs through compounded pharmacies, which are also unregulated by the FDA.

Sign this petition to tell Congress it is unacceptable for states to use unregulated, untested chemicals on prisoners. The lack of access to approved drugs should not mean that states can use whatever drugs they want on executed inmates!

U.S. Congress—


Due to a decreased availability of approved letal injection drugs, states such as Florida used untested and unregulated drugs such as midazolam hydrochloride. They are also using compounding pharmacies, unregulated by the FDA, to create their own small-batch drugs.


We the undersigned strongly oppose these execution methods and ask you to ban the use of unregulated or untested chemicals on U.S. inmates.


Sincerely,

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