Physicians' Involvement in Executions

In the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, there is an interesting discussion about the involvement of physicians in execution and whether it is ethical given that they are beholden to the Hippocratic Oath (first do no harm, etc.). Like most issues of medical ethics, there really is some gray area here, so it's pretty fascinating to mull over. In the Jan. 24 issue, NEJM ran an editorial that recommended physicians not take part in executions. These current letters are in response to that piece.