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by Santaanacanyon on August 6th, 2003

Santaanacanyon

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When a convict is to executed by lethal injection, why do they bother to sterilize the needles?

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Answers. 116 helpful answers below.

  • by ChrisDG on April 12th, 2007

    ChrisDG

    The needles are mass produced for all medical needs and as such, during production all batches are sterilised. Then, the authorities (I'm guessing your Dept. of Justice?) purchase a batch from the company to use in their lethal injections. The compamny that produces the needles doesn't know which batch the DoJ will buy, just as Kleenex doesn't know which box of tissues you will buy or Cadbury's doesn't know exactly which bar of chocolate you will buy.

    So, it's much easier just to sterilise every single batch. It won't cost them any noticeable amount of money to sterilise those few batches and in fact probably works out cheaper than stopping the production line, removing a batch so stop it getting sterilised, reserving it for transport to the Death Row locations and so on.

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  • by Santaanacanyon on August 6th, 2003

    Santaanacanyon

    Hypodermic needles are sterilized during the manufacturing process, and thus shipped in a sterile package.

    When a physician procures new needles, including the physician who administers the lethal drugs of execution, the only needles he can get are sterile needles.

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  • by Anonymous on March 1st, 2006

    Anonymous

    Needles are not sterilized, prior to a lethal injection. needles are packaged and sterilized at the point of manufacture.

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  • by donovan reynolds. on April 4th, 2007

    donovan reynolds.

    If it wasn't sterilized, there could be the possibility of someone interpreting it as cruel and unusual punishment, believe it or not. Also, it is a good idea, because the people administering the shot should probably take those precautions so that they are safe, in case anything bad should happen.

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  • by Runs_With_Scissors on December 23rd, 2008

    Runs_With_Scissors

    If there is a stay of execution - in which the govoner will either extend the prisoner's life, pardon them, or allows them to go on with aa life inprisonment sentence - they want to make sure the guy doesn't die from infection.

    These are rare cases - but it does happeh. Got to admit, if you were in for a crime you didn't commit, and they were poking you with needles, up until the very last second of consciousness, you'd want to hope that they sterilized the needles too.

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  • by Im Alec has abandoned this account on August 19th, 2007

    Im Alec has abandoned this account

    Because they follow The Rules, just like the guards at Auschwitz did.

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  • by Farino on December 12th, 2005

    Farino

    One: Principle, two: Then the person dies of what comes from inside the syringe and not by any blood or diseases on the needle, thus making the killing as it's supposed to be and not a dragged out painful death that might result from an unsterilized needle.
    Not necessarily drag it out but affect them differently if it acts quicker than the injection should. Iknow it's a slim chance and I don't personally understand it fully myself but that is the rationalle behind it!
    Okay, rationally, it doesn't matter about the sterilization of the needle because they're gona die soon anyway but you will always find a few cranks saying "No! This isn't right." In this P.C. gone mad world the minority rules. So the rule or law is the one stated above, because looking at the nitty gritty detail of it; yeah maybe they are right-the person wouldn't die the way intended by the injection. However common sense says it doesn't matter if it's sterilized or not but in this day n' age common sense is thrown out of the window.

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  • by Andrew on July 3rd, 2009

    Andrew

    We want you healthy when you die. That way we are sure we did it.

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  • by AntigoneRising on August 5th, 2007

    AntigoneRising

    They have to follow accepted/proper medical protocol to avoid cruel and unusual punishment. Syringe and IV needles come sterilized, so I don't see a need to create a separate process of people creating, handling, packaging, etc unsterile needles. Apparently the prision system agrees. Also, safety is of utmost importance, because accidental pricks (usually of yourself) do happen.

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  • by Ruh Roh on December 23rd, 2008

    Ruh Roh

    needles are not sterilized at all before they are used. they are sterilized in the manufacturing process, before they are packaged. No one can tell where an individual needle will ever end up.

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  • by asairel on August 5th, 2007

    asairel

    safety first :P nah seriously they dont want the convicted person to die because of tetanus or whatever infection they may get from unsteralize needles..

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  • by Mr. Meaulnes on April 12th, 2007

    Mr. Meaulnes

    The needles all come prepackaged in sterile plastic shrink-wrap.
    And it's more affordable to just get standard pre-sterilized hypodermics than to have special Non-sterile needles just for lethal injections.

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  • by Twisted Taco on July 2nd, 2009

    Twisted Taco

    To make sure the corps doesn't catch and infection that would kill the magots

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  • by ICU says April is Autism Awareness Mo. on December 23rd, 2008

    ICU says April is Autism Awareness Mo.

    good question. those are the kind that make you go hmmmmmm......

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  • by Galeanda on October 9th, 2008

    Galeanda

    They don't sterilize the needle prior to injection. They all come that way from the manufacturer, in individually wrapped packages. They aren't special needles just for lethal injections, just standard everyday sterile needles

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  • by denise was here on July 10th, 2008

    denise was here

    I think they are pre-sterilized. I don't think they sterilized for the occasion. :P

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  • by koldkanuck on April 30th, 2008

    koldkanuck

    You'll probably get a flag on this later.
    this is a clone question.
    by ChrisDG53 on Apr 12, 2007 at 3:11 pm Permalink

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  • by Will on September 8th, 2007

    Will

    Probably just protocol. I'v often wondered that myself.

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  • by bobbo489 on August 5th, 2007

    bobbo489

    because if it isnt sterilized then it is "inhumane" treatment and the people in this country who think that ruthless murderers and rapists should be allowed to roam the streets freely would be all over it and would get everyone taken off of death row because of it.

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  • by .avallach on April 25th, 2007

    .avallach

    I don't think they specifically sterilize it before they inject it. They just open up a medical needle which comes in a sealed packet and has been sterilized already. But I could be wrong.

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  • by BAM@Cyberscrewed.tk on April 4th, 2007

    BAM@Cyberscrewed.tk

    It's a sign of cleanliness. The families of the condemmed usually look for some sort of loop hole that would allow them to sue the state on the grounds that the execution was inhumane. I've heard of families attempting a lawsuit on the grounds that the needle was too painful.
    Apart from that, it could be said to be cruel and unusual.

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  • by GeorgieGirl on April 4th, 2007

    GeorgieGirl

    The guy has rights and he has to be treated as if he were just getting a needle. Has to be antiseptic :D

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  • by melbee on March 6th, 2007

    melbee

    Don't needles just come in those sterile packs anyway? If you used a needle over and over it would get blunt. You make it sound as though people are being lethally injected all day everyday like some sort of production line... surely the ammount of money it takes to use a new needle each time would not be much????

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  • by CannedHam on February 25th, 2007

    CannedHam

    The needles used aren't made especially for lethal injections. They are standard IV needles that can be used on anyone, from a dehydrated prisoner in sickbay to the death row inmate on his last walk. They manufacturer has to make them all sterile.

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  • by ChrisDG on February 25th, 2007

    ChrisDG

    The needles used are normal medical syringes as far as I know, and the same as are used in hospitals all over the world. Since the company that produces them has to produce them sterile for the vast majority of it's customers, the ones used for lethal injections wouldn't be any different.

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  • by hut007 on April 25th, 2006

    hut007

    Simple answer to this is that plant/factory making needles pre-sterilise their products before they are packaged.

    Why not then use the same needle over and over and save money?

    Unfortunately the person administering the needle may not agree if they were to get stuck and end up with some disease simply for doing their job. Other than that I agree with fact it is probably down to common moral grounds

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  • by ChandaDiane - est. 1975 on January 4th, 2012

    ChandaDiane - est. 1975

    It's going to be so long before the execute another convict I'm sure they just throw them away. Why keep a needle (clean or dirty) hanging around in a drawer for months?

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  • by Tired40 on May 3rd, 2011

    Tired40

    Chris DG has a very logical answer. I would have thought it to be an un-necessary expense to tax payers, but after reading Chris DG comment..it seems a logically intellectual answer.

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  • by Anonymous on November 26th, 2009

    Anonymous

    I really don't know...
    +5

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  • by LarryH54 on July 3rd, 2009

    LarryH54

    Bureaucracy at its finest...

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  • by Roger Kovaciny on March 16th, 2009

    Roger Kovaciny

    All needles are sterilized automatically as the millions of them come out of the factories. To unsterilize a needle would be like asking for a Big Mac without mayo. They'll do it but they won't like it, and if a lot of people asked for it they'd charge extra.

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  • by Tarus1970 on December 23rd, 2008

    Tarus1970

    OK, think of this as to the idea of dieing........
    Why did the comacozie pilot's of World War 2 wear helmets?

    Does this make any sense?

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  • by laksjfdhasdlkjfhalsdjfh on December 23rd, 2008

    laksjfdhasdlkjfhalsdjfh

    I've never thought about that.

    Maybe because an infection would make them die sooner, and the prison cops are sort of sadistic so they want the prisoner to stay in pain longer (b/c he is always being punished by his guilt).

    I actually have no idea, though.

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  • by Banned from Yahoo on December 23rd, 2008

    Banned from Yahoo

    I think they should use old rusty ones!

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  • by King Tom on December 23rd, 2008

    King Tom

    Its probably just standard procedure.

    Maintain the cleanliness to preserve dignity.

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  • by Bitto on October 9th, 2008

    Bitto

    Because killing someone from an infected wound would be considered "cruel and unusual" punishment. (Even though the dude wouldn't live to find out if the needle was dirty, the law nontheless has to be upheld).

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  • by Bon Basil on July 22nd, 2008

    Bon Basil

    I think they stick the needles in minutes before the lethal stuff is injected and within that time the condemned person can still be saved by a phone call from the governor (I think).....what if he/she does get saved by a phone call but contracts a deadly germ from an unsterilized needle?

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  • by hetalivo on July 22nd, 2008

    hetalivo

    Because needles are mass-produced, and are sterilised during the production process. While some of these needles are used for lethal injections, most are used for medicinal injections which need to be sterilised. It would be more effort NOT to sterilise them.

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  • by hartdaniel on July 22nd, 2008

    hartdaniel

    they come that way.

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  • by Shadow is Gone on July 12th, 2008

    Shadow is Gone

    "It's the "politically correct" thing to do.

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  • by hydrochloric chicken on July 10th, 2008

    hydrochloric chicken

    because at the last minute, you changed your mind and want to live. but don't want to waste the pennies spent on the injection

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  • by kaceesab__ch on July 10th, 2008

    kaceesab__ch

    Ha whoa. You need to pass away cleanly.

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  • by th1s1sit on April 30th, 2008

    th1s1sit

    First of all, lethal injection is not performed by physicians (violates AMA code). Second, where are they gonna get the non-sterilized needles? grab it from random hospital patients? easier to find a sterilized needle than unsterilized.

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  • by GiraffeyedDonor-ish on December 5th, 2007

    GiraffeyedDonor-ish

    It could be considered as cruel and unusual punishment and could be sued because they were killed for a reason other than what they were supposed to die from.

    You may also want to check out this question for more answers.

    http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/38097

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  • by Ender is back.. And slightly confused. on September 8th, 2007

    Ender is back.. And slightly confused.

    Most needles come packaged hypodermically sealed and pre-sterilized. I'm not sure if you're referring to additional sterilization, but I can imagine that if they're using sterilized needles they probably get them from the same place that doctor's get them.

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  • by Corderbollie on September 8th, 2007

    Corderbollie

    Hm...to be humane about it perhaps?

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  • by sleidman on August 6th, 2007

    sleidman

    a little thing called cruel and unusual punishment

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  • by FadingxSmiles on August 5th, 2007

    FadingxSmiles

    It's against the Constitution, as if falls under cruel and unusual punishment.

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  • by thekingcobra63 on August 5th, 2007

    thekingcobra63

    To stop being sued by the ACLU if the execution is called off and the poor criminal gets an infection.

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  • by Cowboy-Matter of Fact on August 5th, 2007

    Cowboy-Matter of Fact

    To minimize the risk of infection in case the Governor calls at the last second to commute the sentence?

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More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading When a convict is to executed by lethal injection, why do they bother to sterilize the needles? - which can also be phrased in the following ways:

  • Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?
  • Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?
  • Why do doctors use sterilised needles for death by lethal injection?
  • Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
  • Why do you sterilize needles for lethal injection?
  • I read about death sentence in the US in the the news paper the other day and i was wondering..why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?!!:)i mean..it's the dude's gonna be put down anyway!:P
  • Why do doctors use sterilized needles for lethal injections?
  • Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections....are the doctors afraid the persons gonna get an infection...it makes no sense?
  • Are the needles that give lethal-injections sterilized beforehand?
  • Why is the lethal injection needle sterilised?
  • Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?

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