TAMPA, Fla — If you were trying to save the life of a COVID-19 patient, would you think to reach for some drugs used in lethal injections?
The notion sounds quite counterintuitive, but the Associated Press reports that’s precisely what doctors across the country are trying to do.
Related coverage:
It turns out some of the medications that sedate people before they’re executed are the same ones used to immobilize coronavirus patients when they’re placed on ventilators. In fact, a group of intensive care doctors, pharmacists and public health experts sent a letter to corrections departments asking states with capital punishment to hand their drugs over to hospitals.
“Your stockpile could save the lives of hundreds of people; though this may be a small fraction of the total anticipated deaths, it is a central ethical directive that medicine values every life,” the letter read.
“At this crucial moment for our country, we must prioritize the needs and lives of patients above ending the lives of prisoners.”
But here’s the problem.
States are notoriously secretive about executions and the drugs used for lethal injections, so it’s not clear what drugs they may have. AP reports is among the states that have not responded to questions about the letter.
According to Forbes, 13 states, including Florida, have passed laws to conceal information about their death penalty process.
You can read the entire letter here.
- Florida is getting ready to re-open. Here's who's on the task force
- What Florida beaches are open? A county-by-county list
- Huge 'fatberg' removed from Tampa pumping station
- 26 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits since coronavirus hit
- Tom Brady uses conch shell to welcome Gronk to Tampa Bay Bucs
- Volunteers print 13,000 face chields for front line workers
- Scared to death: ER docs say people are dying because they're afraid to seek medical care during pandemic
- Hotlines, websites offer the latest on COVID-19
FREE 10NEWS APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
