The ACLU has successfully argued that the lethal injection protocol used by the state of Ohio to kill inmates is a method veterinarians reject for euthanizing the family dog, cat or bunny rabbit (see "No Way to Kill a Dog," issue of May 10, 2006). On June 10, Common Pleas Judge James Burge said the state's three-drug cocktail violates state law, which requires executions be quick and painless.
Jeffrey Gamso, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, says the decision will not necessarily affect the executions already scheduled but is an important decision (see "Law Group: Stop the Killing," issue of Sept. 26, 2007).
“This decision sends a strong message that the state must treat every person with basic human dignity,” Gamso says. “The evidence shows that lethal injection is fraught with problems and can oftentimes be very painful.”