Alabama Controversial Nitrogen Gas Executions: A Clash of Morality and Spiritual Duty

Alabama Controversial Nitrogen Gas Executions: In its guidelines for ending the suffering of animals, the American Veterinary Medical Association advises against using nitrogen gas to dispatch rats. However, Alabama is pushing forward with plans to use this method for its condemned.

Even the most heinous murderers, devoid of any sympathy or compassion, cannot be equated to rats. Reflecting calmly, those sentenced to die, regardless of the severity of their crimes, are still human beings, created in the image of God, regardless of their perceived flaws.

Certainly, there will be those who disagree, who may argue that some, if not all, convicted criminals are akin to rats and do not deserve humane considerations. However, even among this group, it would be challenging to find a decent human being comfortable with imposing such risks on spiritual advisors present in the death chamber.

Many are familiar with “Dead Man Walking,” Sister Helen Prejean’s account of ministering to death row inmates. It’s clear that spiritual advisors to the condemned are not rats and should not be compelled, due to religious obligations, to risk exposure to nitrogen gas.

Since the early days of this country, religious leaders have offered counsel to those sentenced to death—a fact acknowledged by Chief Justice John Roberts in 2022. These individuals provide guidance and company up to and during the moment of execution out of a deep sense of duty.

Reverend Darryl Gray, senior pastor at Greater Fairfax Missionary Baptist Church, felt duty-bound to minister to Kevin Johnson when executed in Missouri in November 2022, stating, “because Kevin’s life was worth it, the sacredness of human life was worth it.”

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Reverend Melissa Potts-Bowers, a spiritual advisor to Michael Tisius executed by Missouri on June 6, 2023, emphasized the importance of standing with the oppressed. Alabama’s nitrogen gassing protocol lacks respect for the spiritual work of individuals like Sister Prejean, Reverend Gray, and Reverend Potts-Bowers.

The protocol mandates that no spiritual advisor shall be allowed in the execution chamber without signing a form acknowledging the risks of nitrogen hypoxia. The form highlights the “highly unlikely” event of the hose detaching, creating a small risk area. It raises questions about why these risks are bolded if they are genuinely so unlikely.

Moreover, when Alabama officials opine on the likelihood of problems with nitrogen gassing, it’s crucial to remember that such an execution has never been attempted in human history. Claims about the likelihood of issues arising are speculative at best.

Alabama has a history of botched executions, making it feel like a coin-toss could predict whether a prisoner will endure palpable suffering. Spiritual advisors, dedicated individuals, should not feel duty-bound to risk their health or lives for Alabama’s experimentation with a novel, immoral method of ending human life.