The state has told a federal judge that its new execution protocol contains enough safeguard to make sure an inmate being executed does not feel unnecessary pain. Attorney General spokesman Scott Holste says attorneys for prison inmate Michael Taylor are trying to set the bar too high by arguing that inmates should feel NO pain during their executions.. The Attorney General says in his filing with federal judge Fermando Gaitan that the constitution does not require a completely painless execution, only that the method of execution not create “a foreseeable and undue risk” that the inmate will feel “unnecessary and wanton pain.” The filing also counters Judge Fernando Gaitan’s contention that the state must have a certified anesthesiologist supervise executions. An affidavit filed with Nixon’s response by Massachusetts anesthesiologist Mark Dershwitz says any doctor, nurse, or emergency medical technician qualified to place an intravenous line can make sure the inmate is not put at undue risk of feeling unnecessary pain. Holste says Dershwitz is recognized as an expert in the field. Attorneys for condemned prison inmate Michael Taylor say the state cannot guarantee that he will not feel pain when executed…Holste says they’re trying to set the bar so high that executions cannot take place. The case is expected to be reviewed by the full federal district court for western Missouri regardless of the way Gaitan rules.
