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2 Executions Halted Until NC Approves New Role of Doctors
A North Carolina judge blocked two executions that are scheduled to take place within the next week, arguing that the recent ruling to change doctors’ role during the process must first be approved by the Council of State and the governor.
Under North Carolina law, a doctor must be present during an execution. However, last week, the state medical board ruled that any doctor participation beyond just attending the execution violated ethical policies.
From now on, an emergency medical technician and a nurse will monitor a condemned inmates vital signs rather than a doctor.
Executions Blocked
Not long after this new decision, a judge halted the executions of Marcus Reymond Robinson and James Edward Thomas, citing a statute from 1909 that requires the approval of the governor and Council of State before any changes can be made in the execution process.
Fifty-one year old Thomas was scheduled to die by injection on Feb. 2 for a murder and sexual assault conviction and Robinson, 33, was to be executed last Friday for murder and robbery.
In a separate issue, a group of Democratic state legislators asked the governor to block all executions in the North Carolina until a panel reviews the injection method.
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