Alabama is seeking to become the first state to execute a prisoner by making him breathe pure nitrogen.

全美第一州阿拉巴馬州擬用吸入純氮氣方式處死犯人

【摘要2023.9.4.一.自由】◎陳成良

The Alabama attorney general’s office on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to set an execution date for death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58. The court filing indicated Alabama plans to put him to death by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that is authorized in three states but has never been used.

阿拉巴馬州檢察長辦公室週五要求州最高法院，針對58歲死刑犯史密斯設定處決日期。法院文件顯示，阿拉巴馬州預計用氮氣窒息的方式將他處決。這種處決方法已在3個州獲得批准，但從未使用過。

Nitrogen hypoxia is caused by forcing the inmate to breathe only nitrogen, depriving them of oxygen and causing them to die. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air inhaled by humans and is harmless when inhaled with oxygen. While proponents of the new method have theorized it would be painless, opponents have likened it to human experimentation.

氮氣窒息是逼迫死刑犯只吸入純氮氣，剝奪他們的氧氣而導致死亡。人類吸入的空氣中有78％是氮氣，混合著氧氣時是無害的。雖然新方法的支持者認為，它理論上是無痛苦的，但反對者認為這根本是人體實驗。

Alabama authorized nitrogen hypoxia in 2018 amid a shortage of drugs used to carry out lethal injections, but the state has not attempted to use it until now to carry out a death sentence. Oklahoma and Mississippi have also authorized nitrogen hypoxia, but have not used it. (AP)

阿拉巴馬州在2018年因為以注射方式處死的藥物缺貨，批准可以氮氣窒息的方式執刑，但直到現在還沒有嘗試用來執行死刑。奧克拉荷馬州和密西西比州也已批氮氣窒息，但也沒有真正實施過。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

hypoxia：名詞，氧過少；低氧。例句：Hypoxia in hospital patients has various causes, from circulation problems to metabolism difficulties.（在醫院中的患者發生組織缺氧的原因有很多種，從循環問題到代謝困難。）

proponent：名詞，提倡者；宣導者；辯護者。例句：He is one of the leading proponents of capital punishment.（他是死刑的主要支持者之一。）