Letter to American Board of Anesthesiology

On Aug. 29, 2013 the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri formally requested that the American Board of Anesthesiology suspend the board certification of the anesthesiologist who is slated to execute two Missouri inmates this fall.

On Aug. 29, 2013 the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri formally requested that the American Board of Anesthesiology suspend the board certification of the anesthesiologist who is slated to execute two Missouri inmates this fall. According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, the executioner, known to the public as M3, is a board-certified anesthesiologist who has participated in at least one execution in the past.

“The American Board of Anesthesiology has high professional standards that prohibit certified anesthesiologists from participating in executions,” says Jeffrey Mittman, the ACLU-EM’s executive director. “We are bringing the case of M3 to the Board’s attention and requesting that the Board apply its policies to suspend M3’s certification.”

“M3 can either be a board-certified anesthesiologist or an executioner, but he cannot be both,” says Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU-EM.