After two attempts by the Virginia House of Delegates, lawmakers accepted Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to shield the identities of pharmacies that provide lethal injection drugs for executions. It heads to the Senate.
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The Democrat’s plan replaced a bill that sought to allow the use of the electric chair if the lethal drugs aren’t available.
In an earlier interview with the AP, McAuliffe explained the stakes of the situation, saying that if lawmakers voted down his idea, they would be bringing “the death penalty to an end here in Virginia”. It warns against secrecy practices exactly like the one proposed in Virginia, urging that states instead handle the implementation of lethal injection protocols in a transparent manner that allows for appropriate levels of legal, media, and public scrutiny.
“The vetoes I submitted to the legislature for their consideration today honored the promise I made in the State of the Commonwealth to reject legislation that divides Virginians, makes them less safe, or sends a negative message about the climate we offer to families or businesses that may want to locate here”, McAuliffe said in a statement. “We know this because this has already happened to other people in other states”, Reverend Boswell said, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Death row exoneree Harold Wilson, thrid from right, leaves the podium after adressing a press conference at the General Assembly Building in Richmond, Va., Monday, April 18, 2016, with faith leaders opposed to the death penalty.
In amending Miller’s bill, McAuliffe said he was trying to find a way to avoid the use of the electric chair, which he called a “reprehensible” method of execution.
It’s unclear whether there will be enough support for McAuliffe’s amendment in the Republican-controlled General Assembly when it returns Wednesday. APhA in 2015 passed a declaration against pharmacist involvement in capital punishment. Howell voted against the secrecy provision past year.
The governor vetoed 32 bills that would have rolled back gay rights, defunded Planned Parenthood and given parents the right to “opt out” their children from reading sexually explicit books.
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Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said the political rancor was not productive.
