<P> On April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court rejected Baze v. Rees, thereby upholding Kentucky's method of lethal injection in a majority 7--2 decision . Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented . Several states immediately indicated plans to proceed with executions . </P> <P> The U.S. Supreme Court also upheld lethal injection in the 2015 case Glossip v. Gross . </P> <P> The American Medical Association (AMA) believes that a physician's opinion on capital punishment is a personal decision . Since the AMA is founded on preserving life, they argue that a doctor "should not be a participant" in executions in any professional capacity with the exception of "certifying death, provided that the condemned has been declared dead by another person" and "relieving the acute suffering of a condemned person while awaiting execution ." The AMA, however, does not have the ability to enforce its prohibition of doctors from participation in lethal injection, as it does not have the authority to revoke medical licenses, as medical licensing is handled on the state level . </P> <P> Typically, most states do not require that physicians administer the drugs for lethal injection, but most states do require doctors, nurses or paramedics to prepare the substances before their application and to attest the inmate's death after it . </P>

How long does it take someone to die from lethal injection