ACLU Supporter –

Rusty Bucklew doesn't have long to live. His execution date is set for October 1 in Missouri‚ but we can try to stop it by demanding clemency.

The death penalty is always wrong, but it will amount to torture if carried out in Rusty's case. Due to a rare congenital disease, his body is full of blood-filled tumors, and he will likely hemorrhage, choke, and suffocate on his own blood under lethal injection. That's a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

We can stop this torturous execution from taking place by pressuring Missouri Governor Mike Parson to grant Rusty clemency. Add your name now.

Using lethal injection to carry out Rusty's execution, knowing it is likely to result in excruciating pain, is cruel, inhumane, and unconstitutional. It would also violate international human rights norms: The U.S. is one of a handful of countries that still carry out the death penalty, which is disproportionally used against the poor and people of color.

Right now, we're preparing to present Rusty's case at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights next week in Washington, D.C. On that same day, our team will be on the ground in Missouri to deliver thousands of petition signatures to Governor Parson. Over 30,000 people have already signed the petition, and we're working with partners at Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty to make an even bigger impact on the day of Rusty's hearing.

Here's how you can join us and fuel our fight: Sign the petition for Rusty's clemency.

Rusty's execution is scheduled to take place in just days. We hope you'll be with us – from D.C. to Missouri and beyond – as we fight to spare him this torturous execution.

Thanks for taking action,

Jamil Dakwar
Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program