why do they sterlize the needle for a lethal injection?
602279
really they should use a rusty syringe they find in crack town
920509
The answers so far are nonsensical. It is nothing to do with the possibility of a reprieve, nor any concern over infection. \n\nThe needles used in executions of black people who have (or frequently, haven't) killed white people in the US are "one-time-only" sterile steel IV catheter needles which are purchased in "peel open" packets. They are taken out of the packet, used, and disposed of, exactly the same way they would be on a patient who survives the medical procedure involved, as opposed to otherwise, as is the case with lethal injections. The reason sterilised needles are used is simple: no medical supply house in the world sells unsterilised catheter needles. Why would they?
445061
A butterfly needle is a type of IV catheter.  The needle is very small.  It kind of looks like a butterfly, because there are plastic wings that extend out from the needle.  The wings provide a flat surface for them to use to tape it down.  These are the same size needle they use in children.
1007798
Because killing people who can't fight back is best done by medical doctors to make it all seem clinical. Hanging or shooting is too obvious.
800422
If you are not a medical professional, pain is the last thing you should worry about. If you inject the drug into a nerve you can paralyze your "patient";  injecting the wrong drug (or simply enough air) into an artery can easily kill someone. You can only learn how to inject at a professional school from someone qualified. Needless to say, you can be prosecuted if you carry out a medical procedure that you are not authorized to do. You are warned!
692645
NOPE, AN EYE FOR AN EYE!\n\nWHAT ABOUT THE VICTIM'S RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?\n\nLETHAL INJECTION OR FIRING SQUAD ISNT REALLY CRUEL OR UNUSUAL.\n\nVICTIMS HAVE RIGHTS TOO!\n\nCRUEL AND USUAL WOULD BE FEEDING THE CONVICT TO A GATOR OR SHARK, ETC.\n\nP.S. - WHERE I COME FROM, WE CHOP OFF THE OFFENDING BODY PART!
120224
http://people.howstuffworks.com/lethal-injection.htm\nThere's another good explanation of the procedure
135223
The labs are hard at work trying to do just that. Believe me...It is no thrill to have to inject myself everyday. I would like to see it at least in a patch type of medicine.
1156099
Cost.\n\nThey come sterilized because it is a national regulation for all needle manufactures.  To get unsterilized needles would require a whole new process that would be expensive and unneeded.
731879
LAWYERS! That's why. If they used a dirty needle and the person died from anything other than the chemical injection, like an infection, then the gov't would get sued.  Basically it is in case anything goes wrong- that is why they are sterilized.
9683
Some people are dying to try it.  There are several problems.  It should be administered by someone who is medically qualified but doctors take an oath to not harm their patients.  Also, after the fact can it be proved that someone underwent euthanasia voluntarily without duress?  Will some use it because they are not being treated effectively for pain?  Plus there are many purely moral issues regarding the value of human life.  Could a vile government extend the practice to involuntary euthanasia, as did nazi Germany, to eliminate "undesirables?"  The matter is rather complicated and society had best proceed with caution - while respecting free choice of those who hold their own personal beliefs.
1165954
Well all needles are sterile when you get them. They don't sell any unsterilized needles that I have heard of. I mean they can't just take one from the druggie down the street.... Now imagine that you used the same needle as with the last guy that you executed... what happens if he was HIV positive and you stuck yourself accidentily while attempting to find a good vein? \nNot to mention there are times when evidence is brought forward showing that the prisoner is not guilty so they have to administer a antedote and wouldn't that suck if he wasn't guilty but died from a blood infection or HIV due to a bad needle?
437515
It might be more humane for the government to take it.  At least they would have a dentist remove it using Novocaine, whereas if he winds up in the slam, a fellow resident may determine that he needs it more and decides to do the extractions with a pliers.  Ouch!!!!
335402
Just a guess would be a combination of habit (as the other answerer so far has said), and perhaps the extremely unlikely possibility that there will be a reprieve of some sort after the IV lines go in, but before the lethal injection is released. So they'd do the sterile-site thing so there'd be a decreased chance of the prisoner getting some blood-borne disease. \n\nIt's very good question, though. The prison system will go to great lengths to keep a deathrow inmate alive so that s/he'll be healthy at the time of execution. That's justice, no?
1028850
yeah, cuz it traps oxygen, and if u inject oxygen in someone's vein, they could instantly die.
58126
Sometimes you need a lech to suck out the poison.\nIt is cost effective. But bleeding, purging and vomiting do have there consequences!!
235089
This sounds like a safer procedure than putting a foreign object in your body...hmmm...