Rapid Responses to:
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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Against capital punishment, or just against the USA?
- Richard Watson (5 November 2007)
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What about the victims ?
- Alexander SD Spiers (5 November 2007)
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The unvarnished truth?
- Caroline Mawer (6 November 2007)
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Anti-United States
- James Currie (8 November 2007)
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UN ought to move against capital punishment
- AK Al-Sheikhli (8 November 2007)
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Re: Anti-United States
- Richard Watson (10 November 2007)
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The death penalty and the inexorable rise in anti-Americanism
- Mark Struthers (12 November 2007)
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Richard Watson, General Practitioner 11 Craigallian Avenue, Glasgow, G72 8DQ
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The use and abuse of statistics to make a particular point is a topic much discussed in your pages. Kelly and Foley tell us that in 2005 at least 2148 people were executed around the world, and that 94% were in four countries. The figures are: China 1770 (82%), Iran 94(4%), Saudi Arabia 86(4%), USA 60(3%). Amnesty, (Ref.), says that the true figure for China may be nearer 8000. Thus the USA is responsible for 3% or less of the executions yet the authors devote their entire article to the USA. Why cite the top four countries? Why not the top three or the top five? The long time spent on death row is mentioned as another point against the USA. This is because of the many legal appeals that are allowed. Figures are not available but I suspect that the appeal process in the top three countries is not so lengthy. Kelly and Foley also make no comment on the nature of the crimes committed by those executed or on the quality of the trials in the various countries. I conclude that the authors' use of statistics, and what they choose to report, demonstrates that their motive is not so much to campaign against capital punishment as to campaign against the USA per se. Reference http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engACT500022006 Competing interests: I am a member of the Labour Party. |
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Alexander SD Spiers, Professor of Medicine (retired) N/A
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Like Brendan Kelly and Sharon Foley, I am opposed to capital punishment. My reasons are simple: (a)if an innocent person is executed by mistake, there is no way of reversing this terrible injustice; and (b)the practice of executing human beings brutalises the whole of society. I do not think that this review significantly advances the case against capital punishment. First, it concentrates its attack upon the United States, which is a very minor player in the business of capital punishment. Second, its tone is too emotional and makes the murderer, Jaime Elizalde, seem to be a poor unfortunate victim of a cruel state. We are then confronted with an account of his last statement, which contains strong references to God, love, and hope, and we are told that most last statements by executed criminals have a similar emphasis. Where was Jaime Elizalde's love and godliness when he murdered two men? Surely an individual's last statement is of far less importance than the way he lived his life. Anyone can be penitent and religiose when facing execution, but it has little more meaning than a promise not to commit any more crimes - or to give up smoking. The currently fashionable tendency to exhibit more sympathy for the perpetrators of crime than for its victims is deeply disquieting and depressing. Competing interests: None declared |
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Caroline Mawer, General Practitioner London
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I must strongly agree that with Kelly and Foley that it's important to tell the unvarnished truth about legalised killing, wherever that may be carried out. Unfortunately however, they haven't quite done that. Their opening paragraph implies some kind of science is used to minimise physical suffering. Spend a moment looking at the recent Amnesty report: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=17472 and you'll see that Texas has banned the drugs they regularly use on humans in animal euthanasia - as they may cruelly act as a 'chemical straitjacket' and prevent individuals from moving or crying out as they are killed. With increasing documentation of botched executions (Angel Diaz, Bennie Demps, Joseph Clark and more) it's clear that the killing process may take many many agonising minutes. Competing interests: I am against any form of killing. |
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James Currie, Consultant Gyneacologist Calgary Health Region Chronic Pain Centre, 2210-2nd Street SW, Calgary AB, T2S 3C3
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My reply is mainly to the first two responses to this 'Personal view'. The principal reason for discussing the United States role in capital punishment is that they constantly and tirelessly claim their position as the moral leaders of the World. Recent events, and their use, and not infrequent misuse of capital punishment show that claim to be untrue. In one case the State of Virginia refused even to carry out the DNA study which may have proved or disproved the convict's innocence. Yes, I'm anti-American! Competing interests: None declared |
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AK Al-Sheikhli, Consultant psychiatrist Gambier House,West Hill Road,St Leonards on Sea,TN38 0N Sea,TN380NG
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EDITOR,It was interesting to read the paper of Kelly and Foley, The price of life(BMJ 2007; 335: 938). After finishing Baghdad Medical School in 1971, Iraq, we spent one year in a rotational scheme as an SHO in General Hospitals in Baghdad. During that year we had 2 weeks' work in Abu -Ghraib prison in Baghdad. We were two doctors at that time, and if there was an execution we had to attend. I remember attending the execution of somebody during the two weeks of my attachment. I must admit it was a very trumatic experience. At that time my views that there ought to be an International movement to abolish capital punishment. The execution in Iraq is by hanging. But how about the ethical issues related to giving lethal drugs by doctors to kill somebody? Is that the job of the medical profession? Competing interests: None declared |
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Richard Watson, General Practitioner 11 Craigallian Avenue, Glasgow, UK
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I anticipated this point and I agree with it. For what it is worth I am opposed to capital punishment. My point was that the authors should have stated their anti-American views explicitly rather than trying to hide behind a general anti-capital punishment screen with a, surely not very revealing, study on last words. Competing interests: I remain a member of the Labour Party. |
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Mark Struthers, GP and prison medical officer Bedfordshire, UK. mark.struthers@which.net
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“Keep your heads up and stay strong. I love you all. That is it. Stay strong. Thank you.” I think that capital punishment, wherever it is practised, is an abomination and a curse. I also think that America is a profound disappointment to the world, democratic and undemocratic, not least for its modern, high-tech, if tardy, refinements to the killing process. Mike Huckabee, former governor of the State of Arkansas, is now a Republican pretender to the American presidency. In January 2004, Huckabee presided over the execution of Charles Singleton. Singleton had spent 25 years on death row after conviction as a teenager. He had developed a severe schizophrenic illness during his long period of incarceration as a condemned person. Huckabee, a Christian gentleman, had the power of life or death: on behalf of the people, he chose the cold blooded killing of a mentally ill man. Another former governor of Arkansas and subsequently successful presidential pretender scored electoral points in 1992 by ensuring the dispatch of Ricky Rector, a mentally retarded prisoner. Rector famously – and stupidly - asked for his last meal to be “saved for later”. Ironically, Bill Clinton was only thinking of the needs of the victim as he signed the execution warrant. Depressed and disquieted, I am now a poster boy for ardent anti- Americanism. However, I do not regard myself as anti-Saudi, anti-Iranian, anti-Chinese, or even anti-pro-democracy. While the US democratically maintains its death penalty at home and abroad, I will remain resolutely anti-American – and in perpetuity. Keep your heads up and stay strong against American democracy. Stay strong. Thank you. That is it. Competing interests: I work in a prison where James Hanratty was hanged in April 1962, one of the last felons to be dispatched in England. Hanratty maintained his innocence to the last. Whether he was innocent or guilty is now largely irrelevant, even though his case was eventually the subject of a prolonged post-mortem examination at massive taxpayer expense. But that's the price of life! |
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