Notre Dame London Law at 50: Cruel and Unusual Punishment; Pulling the Medical Mask off the Lethal Injection
28 Mar 2018
About the event
Reprieve Director; Maya Foa; discusses how for decades; lethal injection has been the lynchpin of the U.S. capital punishment system. By lending the process a mask of medical legitimacy; this method of execution has preserved the pervasive myth of the humane execution; and has helped maintain public and political support for the continued use of the death penalty. Behind the mask; however; lethal injection is just as brutal as the gas chamber or the electric chair. Conducted using experimental drug cocktails administered by untrained prison officials; lethal injection was recently described by one Supreme Court Justice as “the chemical equivalent of being burned at the stake”.
Notre Dame is a leading American research university that offers undergraduate, professional, and graduate students a unique academic environment. Enriched by Catholic intellectual and cultural traditions, it is a place that throughout its history has promoted excellent teaching.
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