Tennessee Presses Forward with Controversial Execution Despite Medical Risks

Tennessee stands at a troubling crossroads of justice and medical ethics as it prepares to execute Byron Black, a 69-year-old inmate with severe health complications, without deactivating his implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). This case highlights the dangerous consequences when state authorities prioritize expediency over human dignity and constitutional safeguards—issues that resonate deeply with America’s foundational commitments to individual liberty and due process.How Can Justice Serve America If It Disregards Basic Medical Realities?Black suffers from dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure, and is confined to a wheelchair. His attorneys argue—and a trial court judge initially agreed—that failing to deactivate Black's...