Assembly Bill 1954, which would prohibit physician involvement with executions...

Assembly Bill 1954, which would prohibit physician involvement with executions, just passed through its first committee and will hopefully go on to become law. The legislation is aimed at alleviating the ethical dilemma doctors face in helping to make execution painless. All physicians have taken a form of the ancient Hippocratic Oath, which is a pledge to help cure and not be a detriment to any patient. Arguing that physicians must be present to make the procedure as painless as possible is ironic given the lethal outcome of the execution. Assisting in the killing of an inmate clearly violates the oath; doctors should not be forced to violate such a promise.
California has been under a stay of execution since the incident with Michael Morales in late February. His execution was halted due to a judge mandate that medical personnel take part in the procedure. No one was willing to assist with the injection.