Christa Pike -where does she stand legally?

[mids2019]

Just this really. Christ a is obviously being giving life saving treatment at hospital but where does she now stand legally. I suppose she probably has irreversible brain damage so will this not allow a second execution to take place? Is this a cruel and unusual punishment?

[Note from MNHQ - edited your title, OP]

ONe or two of the posters on here have had terrible childhoods themselves - one in particular who was open about it - and in fact, may be living with the biological as well as psychological and emotional changes that come with the sort of childhood ACEs that should never, never happen.

It's a difficult and very subtle path to separate the more rational decision making that is informed by experience and the more emotional decision making that is formed by trauma, when it comes from the same individual. Or to put it another way, the same person might make decisions based on experience that they've come to terms with, or decisions based on experience they haven't, when emotion can overwhelm reason (trauma response). There is a difference and the one should be seen as more valid than the other. As demonstrated by the legal system which is based (in theory) on rationality not emotion too.

Then you just get the creeps, aye.

Religion does tends to loom large.

We burned witches to save their souls.

That's very true, but it doesn't account for all of it.

Although these days, many people claim to be atheist or non religious, but call their personal god of vengeance "karma". We had someone call the botched execution "karma" on here. I wish they would look up what karma as a concept actually is.

Yes and I notice they didn't answer the question what actions Pike had committed, age two, to earn the rapes and constant beatings she lived through.

No, because that would be a legal and public relations nightmare. They contract willing participants and/or recruit volunteers.

There’s a contrast between what the official guidelines say, and what individuals actually believe. In much the same way as it is with other groups, medics are split when it comes to either supporting or opposing the death penalty. One of the biggest studies in 2001 found that 43% were willing to do at least one action prohibited by the AMA.

Additionally:

https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/doctors-can-and-do-participate-in-executions/

That said, the popular conception that doctors “cannot” participate in executions is simply untrue. They can, and they do. (A doctor was on hand during the botched execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma, but his role in the events remains unclear.)

Numerous doctors have participated in hundreds of executions over the past three decades. My research(opens in a new tab) has determined that none has ever been disciplined by a state medical board for participation in an execution, and laws preclude such discipline in most states.
Moreover, the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association are just that – guidelines. The harshest punishment the association could dole out is revocation of A.M.A. membership, which is not much of an enforcement mechanism given that only about 20 percent(opens in a new tab) of doctors are members of the association.

I would imagine it touches on the same issues around providing and assisting in abortions and sterilisations ?

I have to say the murkiness of the execution process is very very concerning.

How the drugs are obtained is often secret (Georgia passed a law about it!); the administration of the drugs is behind screens sometimes; the doctors' autopsy reports on some firing squad executions appears to be very different from what the states concerned say happened.

From start to end it's not carried out in a way that inspires any confidence at all.

Very similar. They can choose to be involved, but they cannot be compelled.

Moralistic sadist.

I think they should put in place the death penalty for those who botch these executions. It might focus minds a bit on doing a humane job.

Exactly this. I struggle to have any empathy towards this individual who inflicted such pain upon her victim. All this dragging the execution out is prolonging the agony for the family of the victim. She is evil and a waste of oxygen.

And that's really fair on the family of the victim!?...

You can’t summon up any empathy for an abused and neglected child whose horrific early life clearly has led to her actions?

yes what she did was horrific and evil. But I would argue nurture rather than nature in this case, and I can feel sympathy for the woman as if she had had a decent childhood and loving parents then it’s very possible she wouldn’t be where she is now.

what they’ve inflicted on her trying to kill her isn’t much different to what she did to her victim, and those carrying out the death penalty don’t have the excuse of childhood abuse so severe it changes your brain. They are inflicting pain and suffering with clear reasoning and 30 years forethought. They knew it probably wouldn’t work. they now want her to recover so they can force her to go through it again, just so they can get their pound of flesh.

I’d argue that that is just as evil.

Thee are lots of people in the world who have had horrific childhoods and they don't go on to harm and kill other people so I stand by my opinion.

Are you saying there isn't enough compassion to go round ?

So the people carrying out the execution-

their actions are no less evil than Christa’s, agreed?

anyone who harms and kills another, no excuses?

I actually think that those who carry out the executions are worse.

IMO t they’re sadists who use their lust for violence to legally murder people.

wouldn’t trust any of them. Very likely wife beaters and child abusers.

Pretty sure the executioners were women in this case.

CP asked for an all women attendance. Did she get it?

well, women can be sadistic monsters as well. Christa Pike would be a good example herself…

I read that they were all women, but apparently we don't know:

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/10/02/christa-pike-execution-team/#

I’m one of those people who was sexually abused in childhood from an early age (though not so young as Christa), and no I didn’t go on to harm or kill anyone. But I can still find empathy for what she went through. Obviously it doesn’t excuse what she did, but it is a mitigation.

She should stay in prison for her whole life (I don’t recall anyone saying she shouldn’t), but there’s no way she should be executed, even under the US system.

I don’t agree with execution anyway.

MAGA gives another meaning to the Chump’s weird world
Murder a Girl Again.

Her lawyer didn’t outright confirm it, but when asked if Tennessee had honored that request he replied that what he had seen was consistent with that.

I saw an amercian you tube pontificate on why they were so bad at executions.

His view was voters wanted it and thus states found they had an obligation to do it but no-one really wanted to get their hands dirty actually doing it or being even vaugely involved. So they end up with really poor producres that vary widely across states and mistakes are widespread.

He was anti death sentences - as I am - but honetly it didn't seem to occur to him other methods not lethal injections exist. Also another US commnetator say they dressed us leath injections as scientific often equated with putting pets to sleep so humane.

So it does read as that classic we want death penality but do not want to actually want to grasp that it is brutal act taking a life done by the state. The irony being if they were less bothered about appearing humane about it they'd probably do a much better job of it.

Currently they keep doing an awful job but are all slowly moving to stopping it in more and more states. Does make me wonder how many of these poor sods who suffer botched excecutions are just callortal damage in yet another idolgical war in US where they use emotion on both sides rather than logially based arguments for and against.