WASHINGTON, Sept 25: In a move which could suspend capital punishment in the United States, the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to consider the constitutionality of lethal injections which are used in almost all US executions.

Amid growing controversy over exactly how lethal injections are administered, the court said it would examine the cases of two men condemned to death in the Southern state of Kentucky.

“It affects virtually everyone on death row,” said Richard Dieter, director of the Death Penalty Information Centre, who stressed, however, that the court is unlikely to end capital punishment.

“It may be all about a slowdown,” he said. “For the next six months or so, we may have executions on hold.” Rights activists argue that lethal injections are often slow and painful and contradict the constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment.” So far this year, 40 of the 41 people executed in the country have been killed by lethal injection, with one choosing the electric chair. In 2006, there were 53 executions in the United States, all but one through lethal injection.

During an execution, three drugs are administered to the condemned person: one to sedate him, one to paralyse him, and one to stop the heart.

However, there is no national protocol for administering the drugs and it is not always done by a medical professional. While the prisoner may appear calm, several studies and botched executions have shown that death may in fact be prolonged and quite painful.—AFP