In the most recent episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver turned his incisive gaze towards the continuing grim realities of the death penalty in the United States. Focusing on developments since his 2019 segment on lethal injection, Oliver highlighted the disturbing increase in secrecy surrounding executions and the questionable methods employed by state and federal governments. This episode, aired on April 7, 2024, served as a stark reminder of the ongoing issues within the justice system, particularly the lengths to which authorities go to maintain secrecy around a practice Oliver argues should not exist at all.
Since 2019, Oliver pointed out, 91 individuals have been executed, including 13 federal prisoners during the Trump administration. He emphasized that governments have persisted in pursuing “questionably legal and definitely horrifying ways” to carry out executions, driven largely by the increasing difficulty in acquiring lethal injection drugs. This scarcity has led to the implementation of secrecy statutes, designed to shield the identities of those involved in the drug supply chain, from manufacturers to suppliers. Oliver argued that this pervasive secrecy at every stage of the execution process serves to obscure the brutal reality of capital punishment from the public.
The comedian and political commentator explained that this desperation for execution drugs has pushed states to procure substances from “pretty sketchy suppliers.” This raises serious concerns about drug quality and efficacy. When drugs are substandard or improperly formulated, executions can become agonizingly protracted and inflict immense suffering on the condemned, a scenario that is not only horrific but also potentially unconstitutional.
Oliver drew attention to the stark contrast between the Trump administration’s sanitized accounts of federal executions and the disturbing findings revealed by post-mortem examinations. Autopsies of two executed individuals revealed lung weights twice their expected size, indicative of pulmonary edema. This condition, where fluid floods the lungs and airways, causes a sensation of drowning or suffocation, suggesting inadequate anesthesia during the executions. This revelation casts a dark shadow over the supposed humane nature of lethal injection and raises questions about the true experience of those executed.
A key part of the Last Week Tonight segment focused on the source of pentobarbital used in federal executions under the Trump administration. Through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Oliver’s team uncovered evidence suggesting Absolute Standards, a company based in Connecticut, as the likely supplier. The crucial issue, Oliver stressed, is that while Absolute Standards is registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to produce pentobarbital, these drugs are not approved for human consumption. Federal regulations mandate that drug manufacturers must register with the FDA for drugs intended for human use. Despite the Trump administration’s claims of using a “properly registered” supplier, FOIA requests to the FDA yielded no records of registration or inspections for Absolute Standards. Reuters had previously reported on Absolute Standards’ potential role in supplying execution drugs in 2020, further corroborating Last Week Tonight‘s findings.
Oliver passionately argued that this veil of secrecy is intended to shield the public from confronting the true horrors of the death penalty. He asserted that regardless of the method – be it lethal injection, nitrogen gas, firing squad, or electric chair – all forms of execution are inherently brutal. He urged President Biden to take decisive action by commuting the death sentences of all 42 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole. Furthermore, Oliver called for a thorough investigation into the legality of the federal government’s drug purchases from Absolute Standards and advocated for state legislatures to dismantle secrecy laws and embrace transparency in all aspects of the death penalty process.
In his closing remarks on Last Week Tonight, John Oliver powerfully stated that if the government insists on retaining the power to execute citizens, a practice he vehemently opposes, then complete transparency is paramount. He demanded to know the origin of execution drugs, the identities of manufacturers, and relentless scrutiny of every step of the process. Oliver underscored that executions are carried out in the name of the public, and therefore, the public has a right to full transparency and a voice in expressing their views on this grave matter. This latest episode of Last Week Tonight serves as a crucial contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment, emphasizing the urgent need for transparency and accountability in a system shrouded in secrecy.
