Today, there is an understandably large amount of news coverage aboutthe state of Illinois abolishing the death penalty – with the Illinois governor waiting until the eleventh hour to make his decision on whether he would stand on the matter.  It’s big news and it should be.

However, in Ohio there is also very big news regarding capital punishment in this country.  Ohio has just set precedent by using 5 grams of pentobarbital to execute Johnnie Baston. 

No three drug cocktail here (like they’ve done in Oklahoma with pentobarbital).  Here, the single drug was injected, and according to Associated Press reporter Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Baston "gasped" and "grimaced" several minutes after the drug was administered. 

This is the same drug that is used to euthenize animals. 

This is the same procedure used to euthenize pets. 

Oklahoma’s John Duty may go down in history as being the first man that was executed with pentobarbital used in the lethal injection.  However, Ohio’s Johnnie Baston has just earned his own place in the record books as being the first human being in America to be executed in the exact same way that American vets put beloved pets to sleep. 

In Ohio, executing a man and putting down a dog or cat — no difference.

Surely someone sees something wrong here????