why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?

Answer 1

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Any medical procedure that requires an injection is required to use a sterilized needle. There is a move to separate the medical profession from executions.

Answer 2

"Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?"

superbooks.org ANSWERS:

Ahhhh..that's an excellent question and there are many good answers to that question. I'll try and list some of them.

1. It seems, today, that everything is about lawsuits and avoiding lawsuits and about protecting oneself from the public. So, they sterilize the needle just in case the injection doesn't work . Then the living man or woman cannot win a lawsuit saying that the needle wasn't sterilized.

2. People who are going to die have , usually , have nothing left to lose, therefore, these people might decide at the last minute to attack someone by grabbing the needle and pushing the needle into an innocent bystander or worker. So, if the needle is sterilized, the city feels that at least the person won't get infected before he dies from the killer needle. The aim is to reduce infection and especially reduce infection in those who weren't even supposed to be getting that needle.

3. Possibly they sterilize the needle so the 'handlers' of the needle can handle this instrument safely without getting infected with germs. I mean , suppose the person is carrying the needle or filling it and he trips or the needles somehow punctures his/her skin? Then this would be one unnecessary infection and another possible lawsuit.

4. They sterilize the needle to make more money on the injection. Someone has to pay for the process of sterilization.

5. They sterilize the needle because it's time-consuming. Everyone is anxious about the man /woman who is about to be killed. And, lots of times there is a last-minute reprieve by the governor. So by adding another step in the process of killing the criminal, they add 'time" to the person's life and thus there's a better chance of the person staying alive while the reprieve might be coming down the aisle of the jails.

6. They sterilize the needle , yes, so that he dies from the lethal injection which would be quick, rather than from the infection which could take years.

Actually , I'm not really sure why the do the sterilization but those are some of my opinions and guesses.

Answer 3

What if the guy gets pardoned by the governor after the needle is injected but before the poison is injected?
You would not want the pardoned man to die from infection?

Answer 4

needles always come pre-sterilized. They don't make special ones for lethal injections.

Answer 5

I don't think they take a needle and specifically sterilize it. They just take a needle that is available for use - all of them are sterilized.

Answer 6

Good question. I don't know. I guess it would be along the same lines as:

Why should those in prison have pillows?
Why should they eat 3 meals a day?
Why should they have access to free education and access to the Law Library?
Why should they have personal trainers and access to a gym?
Who cares if they never watch television or the television has no remote control?

Answer 7

From a nurse....the answer would have to be b/c the one administering the lethal drug may accidental poked or contaminated prior infusion or venipuncture of the specimen. Also, how would you store and handle such an contaminated instrument?

Answer 8

Beacause they want the pleasure of knowing that they were fully responsible for the persons death.

It might also be that they are scared that if the person catches something before dying then he might come back later as a zombie or something.

Answer 9

in case something goes wrong with the execution or the victim lives or is pardoned as the needle breaks the skin, they won't get an infection.

Answer 10

Good Q. It's like, why do they have locks in the front doors of a 24 hour store.