Recent legislation in Alabama has led to a situation wherein a death row inmate, Willis Corey, may be executed by a method that has not been employed before. The method is known as nitrogen hypoxia, a seemingly less painful execution method than lethal injection.
Willis Corey, convicted for the kidnapping and murder of his girlfriend in 1998, has opted for this method of execution instead of lethal injection, following Alabama’s approval of nitrogen hypoxia as a form of capital punishment in 2018. The legislation was prompted by the shortage of drugs required for lethal injection, and the ongoing search for more humane methods of execution.
Nitrogen hypoxia results in rapid loss of consciousness and, eventually, death, by having the individual breathe in nitrogen until they suffocate: oxygen is removed, causing hypoxia. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposes the method, citing the lack of understanding around the process, how it leads to death, and whether it is indeed a less painful method of execution.
Alabama is among a few jurisdictions in the U.S., including Oklahoma and Mississippi, that have legalized nitrogen hypoxia as a death penalty method due to the difficulties in accessing drugs for lethal injections. Despite the legality, no execution has been conducted using this method yet.
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Proponents of nitrogen hypoxia argue that it is a more humane form of execution. They compare it with euthanasia for pet animals, which frequently involves a similar process. However, critics, including the ACLU, argue the method has not been sufficiently studied, and that there is no consensus in the scientific community about whether it is indeed a less painful method of execution.
The use of nitrogen hypoxia for execution is still hypothetical. Despite it being legal in three jurisdictions, no executions have yet been conducted using this method. With Willis Corey’s selection of nitrogen hypoxia as his execution method, however, this situation may soon change.