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elbanditoroso's avatar

Should condemned prisoners have the choice of how they die? Would you choose the option to die by firing squad?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33158points) March 3rd, 2021

An example of the state offering additional choices to prisoners sentenced to capital punishment.

article

Soon, if the law passes, condemned South Carolinians can choose death by firing squad, in addition to electrocution. Lethal injection isn’t a possibility because their drugs expired.

Although rather a gruesome subject, how do you feel about S. Carolina offering their prisoners a choice?

Does it make sense to let prisoners choose their own method of demise?

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10 Answers

ragingloli's avatar

Can you really call it a choice, if one of the choices is not “to die of old age”?

Inspired_2write's avatar

I have a problem with that in that his/her victim or victim’s didn’t have a choice so why should they?

flutherother's avatar

Making someone choose is almost a cruel punishment in itself.

KNOWITALL's avatar

Seems like it. I’d take a bullet any day over the other two choices.

kritiper's avatar

I wouldn’t call it a “pro-choice” issue. It’s more of a “right to die” issue.

elbanditoroso's avatar

@kritiper I see it as an empowerment issue. The person knows that he/she is going to die – that’s not open to question.

But at least he/she has a little personal autonomy at the end, about how that happens.

kritiper's avatar

@elbanditoroso With a firing squad, they shoot you through the heart, and your brain is aware for maybe 10 seconds afterwards. I’d rather be shot in the head. Of course, your heart starts pumping wildly and blood squirts all over the place…
Best to be shot in the head and heart simultaneously.

“Pro-choice” usually means a birth thing, not a death thing, as you know…

ragingloli's avatar

@kritiper
It also does not mean only having a choice between different methods of abortion. You also can choose not to have one.

Darth_Algar's avatar

Absolutely. And, honestly, the electric chair is something that no society which purports to be civilized should condone, regardless of one’s stance on capital punishment itself.

@Inspired_2write “I have a problem with that in that his/her victim or victim’s didn’t have a choice so why should they?”

Because, presumably, we’re better than that. If we’re not then we have no moral grounds to execute anyone. Kinda the same reason we traditionally allow the condemned to choose their final meal (although some some states, in their race to be as harsh as possible, are taking even that away).

kritiper's avatar

@ragingloli Yeah, I knew that…
It fits in with the “choice” thing.

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