Changes considered for Neb. death penalty protocol

LINCOLN, Neb,  October 4, 2013 — Attorney General Jon Bruning says state officials have discussed changes to Nebraska's lethal injection protocol, now that a key drug is becoming scarce.

Bruning told the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1ga9GA1 ) that he would support a change to ensure that the state can carry out executions. Bruning says he has spoken with Gov. Dave Heineman and state prison officials, and he considers that option to be on the table.

The state's three-drug protocol calls for a dose of sodium thiopental to render an inmate unconscious, followed by another drug that causes paralysis, then a third to stop the heart.

Sodium thiopental has become nearly impossible to buy, and Nebraska's supply expires in December.

Courtesy: SF Gate