Editing Lethal injection (section)

==Ethics of lethal injection==
{{Main|Participation of medical professionals in American executions}}
The [[American Medical Association]] (AMA) believes that a physician's opinion on capital punishment is a personal decision. Since the AMA is founded on preserving life, they argue that a doctor "should not be a participant" in executions in any professional capacity with the exception of "certifying death, provided that the condemned has been declared dead by another person" and "relieving the acute suffering of a condemned person while awaiting execution". The AMA, however, does not have the ability to enforce its prohibition of doctors from participation in lethal injection. As medical licensing is handled on the state level, it does not have the authority to revoke medical licenses.

Typically, most states do not require that physicians administer the drugs for lethal injection, but most states do require doctors, nurses or paramedics to prepare the substances before their application and to attest the inmate's death after it.<ref name=":2" />

Some states specifically detail that participation in a lethal injection is not to be considered practicing medicine. For example, Delaware law reads "the administration of the required lethal substance or substances required by this section shall not be construed to be the practice of medicine and any pharmacist or pharmaceutical supplier is authorized to dispense drugs to the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee, without prescription, for carrying out the provisions of this section, notwithstanding any other provision of law" (excerpt from Title 11, Chapter 42, § 4209).<ref name=delaware>{{citation |title=Delaware Code, Title 11, Section 4209 – Punishment, procedure for determining punishment, review of punishment and method of punishment for first-degree murder |publisher=LawServer Online, Inc. |url=http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/delaware/de-code/delaware_code_title_11_4209 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423165628/http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/delaware/de-code/delaware_code_title_11_4209 |archive-date=April 23, 2014 |df=mdy-all |access-date=November 29, 2012 }}</ref> State law allows for the dispensing of the drugs/chemicals for lethal injection to the state's department of corrections without a prescription.<ref name=delaware/> However, states are still subject to [[DEA]] regulation with respect to lethal injection drugs.<ref>{{cite web |author=Admin |url=http://www.legalnews.com/detroit/1020375 |title=Arkansas State is latest to turn over execution drug DEA has seized drug supplies in Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee > Detroit Legal News |publisher=Legalnews.com |date=2011-07-25 |accessdate=2022-02-26 |archive-date=September 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912235144/http://www.legalnews.com/detroit/1020375 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ketv.com/article/dea-fda-continue-to-block-state-s-effort-to-get-lethal-injection-drugs/7656552#|title=DEA, FDA continue to block state's effort to get lethal injection drugs|date=November 28, 2015}}</ref>