The botched execution in Tennessee of Christa Pike, who survived despite being subject to two doses of lethal injection on Wednesday, has reignited furious debate about the death penalty in the U.S.
Witnesses say Pike, who was strapped to a gurney, was administered a supposedly lethal dose of the barbiturate pentobarbital but after several minutes said her arm was burning. She then asked "please try up on my shoulder higher."
A second dose was administered, and the 50-year-old, who has been on death row for murder since she was 18, appeared to fall unconscious but continued breathing and snoring. Her lawyers made emergency calls, and the execution was halted. Pike was taken to the hospital, where she remains in critical condition and is being given "lifesaving care."
One media witness reported that Pike had complained about the pain of the injections, saying: "My arm feels like it's about to burst open."
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has now called off executions in the state for the rest of the year.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running to replace Lee, said the state should "bring back the electric chair" rather than using lethal injection.
However, Blackburn's Democratic opponent, Jerri Green, condemned the practice, saying: "The fact of the matter is: the death penalty has always been inhumane, expensive, and biased."
"As a public defender, I've met a few too many people who were wrongfully convicted on death row who were later exonerated … If we say we are pro-life, that means we must be anti-death penalty," her statement read.
This is the second time in 2026 Tennessee officials attempted and failed to execute someone on death row.
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