Norfolk, Va. -- Religious leaders from across the country, including Virginia, are urging Gov. Terry McAuliffe to veto a bill that makes the electric chair the default punishment if lethal injection isn't available.
"It's just morally wrong, inhumane," said Dr. Antipas Harris, a professor at Regent University. "We absolutely don't need this in the Commonwealth."
Death row inmates can choose the electric chair, but the bill would force electrocution if drugs are unavailable. The bill would require state officials to make efforts to get drugs before using the electric chair.
Supporters say it's a way to follow through on what the justice system ruled punishment. There has been a shortage of lethal injection drugs nationwide.
Del. Jackson Miller, a republican from Manassas, introduced the bill. He said the bill would help the families of victims "get the justice that they deserve that our justice system has determined they deserve," according to the Washington Post.
Religious leaders would like to see the state get rid of the death penalty altogether. "This approach, while it seems like it's eye for eye, it really doesn't solved the problem," said Dr. Harris. "We really have to think deeply about humane ways and ways to address crime from a moral standpoint."
Gov. McAuliffe hasn't signaled where he stands on the law. Efforts to reach his spokesman for comment on Friday weren't successful.
