As Nevada and Nebraska push for the country’s first fentanyl-assisted executions, doctors and death penalty opponents are fighting those plans. Mississippi legalized nitrogen gas this spring as a backup method — something no state or country has tried. Here's a closer look at the ongoing debate about the death penalty. In addition to Mississippi, Oklahoma has authorized nitrogen gas as a backup to lethal injection. Read more:Trump remains a staunch supporter of the death penalty, but many Americans are souring on itWhy plummeting support for the death penalty doesn’t mean it’s going awayTrump declares the opioid crisis a public healthy emergency

Source: Washington Post December 09, 2017 21:07 UTC