Participation of physicians in capital punishment.

Despite objections by many professional organizations,1–8 the participation of physicians and nurses in capital punishment continues and is likely to become more common in the years ahead9–11. This participation raises important questions about the ethical standards of the medical profession and how they should be enforced. The majority of Americans favor capital punishment,12 and many physicians believe that medical participation in executions is not only ethical but a civic duty13,14. Simply requiring that physicians not be forced to participate against their conscience would not put an end to medical involvement in capital punishment. Should medical . . .

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[14]  G. Annas.  American health law , 1990 .

[15]  R. Lifton.  The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide , 1986 .

[16]  Michael Walzer,et al.  Spheres of Justice , 1983 .