By AP/KWMU
Park Ridge, Ill. – The president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists says problems with lethal injection should not be resolved by doctors.
Dr. Orin Guidry says anesthesiologists should steer clear of helping with executions.
A federal judge last week halted lethal injections in Missouri until the state lines up anesthesiologists to oversee them.
But Guidry says doctors are "healers, not executioners." He posted a statement on the society's Web site in response to the Missouri ruling.
Legal challenges to lethal injection are under way in other states, too. Some lawyers say a common mix of drugs can cause condemned inmates extreme pain.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that inmates can challenge lethal injection as a civil rights issue.