Prisons Want Help With Executions

Ohio's prison agency says it wants doctors or other medical professionals to assist with executions, saying it will help promote humane procedures. Prisons attorney Greg Trout also says state law should be changed to protect any doctor who helps with an execution from sanctions by the state medical board. Trout said that assistance from a doctor or nurse is unlikely without such protection.  Trout also told a state Supreme Court committee reviewing Ohio's death penalty law that protection should be offered pharmacies that mix supplies of execution drugs.    Trout said in remarks Thursday that without such protection Ohio might not be able to obtain drugs to carry out future executions.  The state's current supply of its execution drug runs out in September.