JACKSON, Miss. – The Senate passed a bill that would keep private the names of individuals involved in the execution process in the state.
The protection would extend to pharmacies that provide the execution drugs, the execution team, as well as family members of all parties involved. SB2237 passed with a vote of 32-18 on the Senate floor after an amendment was made that secrecy would only be provided to in-state pharmacies.
Legislators debated how this could affect the public and whether or not keeping these names from them was a good think. Sen. Tindell represented the bill and said its creation was not to keep things from the public, but to protect the privacy and lives of those individuals who are involved in the process.
Tindell says that pharmacies have received death threats for providing drugs for execution, and that at the end of the day these are still people too.
Press would not be prevented to report on executions, under the law, but they would be prohibited from printing the names of those involved, even if they received them simply through recognition.
