The Death Penalty Debate Continues; State Democrats Depart on Healthcare; Anesthesia Dangers; Look Both Ways
The Death Penalty Debate Continues
California and 11 other states have put all executions on hold amid concerns about whether or not lethal injections are truly painless. Now a new study shows that in many past executions insufficient doses of anesthesia were given. This may have left some people at least partially conscious as the combination of lethal drugs caused them to suffocate. Larry talks to Michael Rushford of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, and Lance Lindsey of Death Penalty Focus about the significance of this new study and the constitutionality of the death penalty in California.
State Democrats Depart on Healthcare
The debate on how to provide healthcare to all Californians continues, as legislators struggle to balance conflicting financial interests. The Governor is pushing a proposal that would require employers who don't provide insurance to pay into a state fund for the uninsured. Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-LA) and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) are pressing on with their own programs. Larry discusses the pros and cons of each plan with Perata and Kim Belshè of the California Health and Human Services Agency.
Anesthesia Dangers
When not enough anesthesia is used during surgery, the rare but horrifying phenomenon of "anesthesia awareness" can occur. Conversely, new research suggests that too much anesthesia may pose dangers to the brains of children and the elderly. Larry talks with Dr. Scott Kelley of Aspect Medical Systems and Dr. Mark Singleton of the California Society of Anesthesiologists about the science and safety of general anesthetics.
Look Both Ways
In her new book Look Both Ways (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner takes a close look at the growing visibility of gay and bisexual characters, performers, and issues on the national cultural stage. Despite the prevalence of bisexuality among Generation X and Y women, Baumgardner finds that it continues to be marginalized by both gay and straight cultures, and dismissed either as a phase or a cop-out. Larry talks to Baumgardner about her findings and the lessons she's learned from writers, artists, and activists who have refused the either/or paradigm defended by both gay and straight communities.