Irrespective of whether or not you believe in the right of a country to execute its citizens the story of the execution of Dennis McGuire in Ohio, last week, is truly disturbing.

 McGuire, convicted of rape and murder way back in 1989, was executed by means of lethal injection which in itself is no big deal, if you believe in the death sentence. However, this was no quick methodical execution since from the moment of injection it evidently took between 15 and 26 minutes for the man to die, depending upon which account you read.

There are those who will no doubt shrug their shoulders and say, “So what? He committed dreadful crimes and what mercy did he show his victim?” An eye for an eye and all that. Whilst that point of view is understandable it is surely wrong.

Any civilized state, using all lawful means at its disposal has a duty, a moral duty if nothing else, to ensure that it doesn’t sink to the level of the criminal. If a state insists on executing its convicted felons it should at the very least ensure that such executions are both humane and speedy. Anything less is torture, plain and simple.