Rep. Mike Christian (R-Oklahoma City), the sponsor of HB 1879, came up with the idea of using nitrogen gas as an alternative to lethal injection after reading an article in Slate in May 2014. The Slate story described nitrogen asphyxia as being “painless” and even “mildly euphoric.”
The Oklahoma House passed the bill in March by a vote of 85-10 sending it to the Senate. The Senate voted on HB 1879 on Thursday, with a resounding 41-0 in favor of the bill. It now goes to Governor Mary Fallin for her signature. The Huffington Post reached a gubernatorial spokesperson for comment on the legislation, but the staffer said the governor will have to review the measure first.
Proponents of the legislation contend nitrogen gas will be a painless death. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Christian says the gas has the added benefit of being easily accessible, and medical experts won’t need to be involved in the killing process. Christian points out, “The process is fast and painless,” adding “It’s foolproof.”
Oklahoma is just one of 31 states having the death penalty, where lethal injection is the primary method of execution. The nitrogen gas method would only be used as a secondary method of execution should lethal injection drugs become unavailable or in the event the U.S. Supreme Court deems lethal injection to be unconstitutional when it examines its legality later this month.
The Supreme Court ‘s examination of the use of the three-drug method of execution stems from a botched execution last year, when Oklahoma used a new sedative as the first drug in the three-drug protocol. The inmate died in agony only after suffering for 43 long minutes.
While the nitrogen gas method is being hailed as safe, humane and painless, it is a method of execution that has never before been used, or in other words, it is experimental. Again, proponents of the use of nitrogen will point to its being used to euthanize small animals. Small animals would include cats, dogs, and rabbits. We all know human beings are not small animals.
