Luke Broadwater, The Examiner
2006-11-08 10:00:00.0
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Annapolis -

Maryland is one of at least 19 states that offers sedative drugs to condemned inmates before they are put to death.

Administering the drugs creates a moral quandary for doctors who give the shots and draws the ire of victims’ advocates who say the convicted killers deserve no mercy.

Maryland offers the sedatives as part of a “dignified” execution, said Mark Vernarelli, a Maryland corrections spokesman.

“We offer it to them. We do not force it,” Vernarelli said.

“We have only executed a few prisoners in recent years. A couple of them have accepted it, and a couple have not.”

Maryland has executed five people since 1994. Currently, six men are on the state’s death row.

But Lois Hess, a victims’ advocate in Baltimore, objects to the sedatives.

“Give them a sedative? Give me a break,” said Hess, 78, whose son was slain in 1975; his killer did not receive the death penalty. “They did something horrible. They don’t need any mercy.”

Maryland officials currently are reviewing their policies to determine whether they will continue with the shots.

“We’re always reviewing things in an effort to make sure the process is dignified and not sensationalized,” Vernarelli said.

The sedatives provide a moral dilemma for the doctors who administer them.

The American Medical Association prohibits doctors from participating in executions, but allows them to relieve an inmate’s suffering ahead of time, which could include giving someone a tranquilizer.

Four death penalty states prohibit the drugs, including Texas, which has the country’s busiest execution chamber.

The states that allow sedation include Arizona; Arkansas; California; Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Montana; Nevada; Ohio; Pennsylvania; South Dakota; Utah and Washington.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com