The two lethal injections that failed to kill Christa Pike are supposed to be a “much safer and more humane” method of execution, a medical journalist has said.
The 50-year-old woman is in "critical condition, receiving life-saving care" in hospital, following the botched procedure on Wednesday.
At present, there is no public explanation about why prison officials in Tennessee were unable to kill her.
However, her lawyer said staff struggled to find a suitable vein to use for the execution.
"The execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour," Randy Spivey told journalists.
"I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt."
During the procedure, Pike complained of pain and said, "My arm feels like it's about to burst open."
Afterwards, one journalist told the BBC that, "None of us had seen anything like that. It was definitely a disaster by pretty much any way of looking at it."
When asked for this opinion, US President Donald Trump said that executions “shouldn't be very difficult".
However, on The Claire Byrne Show, medical journalist Danielle Barron explained that executions have always been fraught with risk and human error.
Previously, hanging, firing squads, gas chambers and the electric chair have all been used.
Nowadays, lethal injection is typically used.
Th death house in Arizona. Picture by: Alamy.com.“This was supposed to be more humane,” Ms Barron said.
“I mean, it's actually comical that we're using the word humane to even talk about the death penalty.
“But this was supposed to be much safer and more humane.
“We've obviously seen in the worst possible way that it isn't.”
Ms Barron continued that the botched procedure means the death penalty “has reopened the conversation” on the ethics of killing convicted criminals.
All at a time when the use of capital punishment is on the increase.
“There's more than 2000 people on death row in America right now and the [Trump] administration is really signalling its intent to proceed with executions,” Ms Barron said.
“We saw 11 executions in 2021, but there were almost 50 last year.”
If she recovers, Pike is likely to be returned to death row, where she has lived since 1996 when she was sentenced to die for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.
At the time of the murder, Pike was 18-years-old and had endured a lifetime of sexual violence at the hands of men who should have looked after her.
A number of feminist groups argued that her history of abuse meant her life should be spared, but their pleas failed to move the Governor of Tennessee.
