It seems clear from all of the reports of the recent life of Kelly Gissendaner that following her execution by lethal injection overnight she was at peace despite the disproportionate use of force being used against her by the state of Georgia. According to the Huffington Post article “Gissendaner, a 47-year-old mother of three, was the first woman in 70 years to be executed in Georgia. She plotted with boyfriend Gregory Owen to kill her husband, Doug Gissendaner, in 1997. Owen, who committed the murder, will be eligible for parole in seven years.” Her death is one among many thousands taking place yesterday for a variety of reasons, hundreds of which were at the hands of the Governments in question. Perhaps that is why so far I have not heard anything from Radio 4 on the last moments of Kelly Gissendaner and according to the Today running order there are no plans to discuss this murder by Georgia of Kelly. Perhaps they consider this to be a ‘womans’ issue and therefore a matter for Jane or Jenny on Womans Hour? Again according to Huffington Post

“Gissendaner didn’t mince words about her responsibility for what happened: She acknowledged that her actions alone landed her on death row. During a February clemency hearing, she told the board, “There are no excuses for what I did. I am fully responsible for my role in my husband’s murder. I had become so self-centered and bitter about my life and who I had become that I lost all judgment.” Kayla and Dakota Gissendaner were just 7 and 5 years old when their mother plotted their father’s murder. After years of anger, they forgave her and became some her staunchest supporters for clemency. “My brothers and I lost one parent. I don’t know that I can lose another one,” Kayla said in a recent video statement. “I haven’t done anything wrong, and I feel like I’m the one being punished for something.” 

It seems unlikely that anyone from the Government or our official opposition will be speaking out on this matter. What a terrible disappointment!