Opinion: I’m an anesthesiologist. Kenneth Smith’s execution by nitrogen gas was far from ‘textbook’
On Thursday evening, the state of Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen gas. Now, there are dueling narratives about what happened. Alabama claims it went perfectly, proving that nitrogen is a humane, effective alternative to lethal injection (which it previously tried, unsuccessfully, to use on Smith). It says that based on this experience, other states should follow its example. But witness accounts suggest that Smith’s death was cruel and tortuous.
I wanted to be one of those witnesses. I applied to attend as a member of the media, but I was not allowed to watch it firsthand. Alabama Department of Corrections granted me permission to be near the prison, but without a mechanism of direct observation, so I decided not to attend. Instead, I learned the details of Smith’s death by the accounting of the few who were there.
