Danish company supplies drug for death penalty in the U.S.

The European Union frowns on the death penalty and almost all European countries have banned state- sponsored killing. In Denmark, the last time the death punishment was meted out was in 1892 and the Scandinavian country completely abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1978. Despite the ban on the death penalty in Denmark, a Danish pharmaceutical company, Lundbeck, supplies a drug used for the death penalty in the U.S.

H. Lundbeck A/S, commonly known as Lundbeck was founded in 1915 and became pharmaceutical in 1924. The research-based company produces a drug called pentobarbital which is used for executions in the U.S.

According to The New York Times, Lundbeck has sold pentobarbital to four major U.S. executioners: Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. The Lundbeck-produced drug has replaced sodium thiopental which was once the drug of choice for the U.S. killing machine.

Italy, Austria, Germany and Britain have stifled the supply of sodium thiopental which was widely used for executions in the U.S. Due to the limited supply of sodium thiopental, U.S. executioners have switched to Lundbeck-produced pentobarbital.

Amnesty International has called on the European Commission to stop the trade in torture and death penalty equipment. You're encouraged to sign the petition urging the President of the European Commission, José  Manuel Borroso, to effectively ban the trade in "tools of torture" by European companies. This would go a long way to prohibit the use of pentobarbital produced by Lundbeck for executions in the U.S.

Lundbeck claims the death penalty is against what the company stands for. If this is the case, the company should take concrete steps to ensure that its drug is only used to safe life as it was intended, not claim life.

A legal action charity known as Reprieve notes that Lundbeck is the only supplier of pentobarbital in the U.S. The organization has repeatedly slammed Lundbeck for not doing enough to keep its drug out of death chambers. The execution of Jeffrey Moths on 6 May 2011 in South Carolina brought the number of persons killed in the U.S. with the drug supplied by Lundbeck to seven. The Danish company has apparently chosen big business over respect for human life.

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I'm Not Ready To Pass away Now!

It is no secret that the bus carrying Togo's soccer team was attacked on Friday 8 January 2010 on their way to the pretigious African Cup of Nations which starts today, Sunday 10 January 2010. The attack marked a bad start for the tournament and has sparked security concerns ahead of the World Cup, scheduled to take place in South Africa, later this year. According to team captain - Emmanuel Adebayo (seen in the picture), the Togo's national soccer team is pulling out of the competition after the deadly machine gun attack by rebel fighters, near the border between Angola and the Republic of Congo. The attack left three people dead (including the assistant coach of Togo's soccer team) and seven wounded. In response to the attack, captain Adebayo said, amongst other things - "... I'm not ready to pass away now." This statement got me thinking.

Are you ready to pass away now? In other words, if you were scheduled to die today, would you be ready? These are tough questions that you should consider with each passing day. The thought of death would keep you grounded and at your best behavior, especially if you believe in life after death. Growing up in a family with strong Christian values, the thought of death shaped my thoughts and deeds and pulled me closer to God.

Nowadays, many people - mostly the young (especially in the developed world) don't consider the possibility of dying abruptly. They mistakenly think death is reserved for old age - because of the long "life expectancy." I have no doubt about this because my "fear" of death diminished when I traveled to the developed world. The contributing factors to this lose of values include - good roads ( which reduce the risk of car accidents), advanced medical system, availability of potable water, low infant mortality rate, balanced diet, high security, low crime rate, you name it. Blessed with all these favorable factors, many people tend to forget the favor of God. In the past, I prayed before getting into a car. Now, I do it sparingly simply because of good roads. How rediculous! The truth is, all these amenities don't count!

I must confess I've fallen off the wagon quite a bite in recent history. But Emmanuel Adebayo's statement - "I'm not ready to die now," was a wake up call. It reminded me of how much the thought of death has escaped my mind recently; it reminded of the need to be ready at all times because anything can happen at anytime. The Togolese players never saw it coming, did they? They were on their way to play soccer, not to mourn. In the same vein, those who died in the attack, never thought it would happen on that fateful day. The bottom line is, nobody sees death coming. Not even you! Endeavor to have a healthy relationship with God and your neighbors (everybody!) at all times. Afterall, what He giveth, He can taketh away.

Strive to reach your full potential, live life to the fullest and don't be caught pants down and not ready to pass away like Emmanuel Adebayo. You might not be so lucky.

By the way, if you pass away today, what would you be remembered for?

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