The main argument being made is that of how executions should be done in a more humane way if done at all. The author says that with so many failed attempts or botched executions that the government should stop all executions until they know exactly how to end the life the first time with minimal pain and suffering.

Strategies the author uses for support include, the detailed description of how gruesome the procedure is and how the person being executed must go through such suffering only to die in the end. This strategy forces the audience to believe that the person being executed is the victim in the situation. Using words like “barbaric” and “cruel” create a picture for the reader. Another strategy used is statistics. “In the last four years, it has had three botched executions,…” While proving that there are more than enough botched executions, statistics like these also help to shape the reader’s mind into exactly what the author wants.

As for an alternative way of thinking, the author proposes that states like Ohio with botched and failed executions should take a minute to realize that their method of execution is obviously not efficient and reliable. The author also states that the government should stop all executions until they know for certain that every person condemned to death will not have to suffer or be “killed” more than once.