New drugs and medical treatments undergo rigorous testing to ensure they are safe and effective for public use. Under federal and state regulations, this testing typically involves clinical trials with human subjects, who face significant health and safety risks as the first people exposed to experimental treatments. That is why the law requires them to be fully informed of the potential effects and give their voluntary consent to participate in trials. Yet these regulations have not been followed when states seek to use novel and untested execution methods — subjecting prisoners to potentially torturous and unconstitutionally painful deaths. Some experts and advocates argue that states must be bound by the ethical and human rights principles of biomedical research before using these methods on prisoners.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A proposed law could mean the death penalty for more child rapists in Tennessee. The legislation adds circumstances under which a rapist could be executed, like filming the attack. “It’s another tool,” the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Greg Martin, said. A new bill at the Tennessee State Capitol is aimed at making it easier for prosecutors to seek the death penalty against child rapists. Lawmakers said it builds on a law passed just last year, one that first opened the door for juries to consider the death penalty in some child rape cases.