A death row inmate from Texas, who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, had an unusual demand from state authorities relating to his punishment. The 37-year-old wanted his pastor to lay hands on him while the lethal injection is being administered.

The request by John Henry Ramirez, who was convicted for robbing and murdering a man by stabbing him 29 times, triggered the latest clash between death row inmates and prison officials in Texas and other states over the presence of spiritual advisers in the death chamber.  

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The inmate argued that not allowing his pastor to lay hands on him while the execution is being carried out violates his rights registered under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

Federal law allows the presence of a religious figure in the execution chambers but does not permit any physical contact with the inmate, according to a CNN report.

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Ramirez has been ministered by Rev. Dr. Dana Moore of the Second Baptist Church in Ramirez’s hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Reverend Dr Dana Moore has been the minister of Ramirez in his hometown in Texas. The legal representation, opposing the request, wrote in the court papers that Moore will “stand in his little corner of the room like a potted plant even though his notarized affidavit explains that laying his hands on a dying body- and vocalized prayers during the transformation from life to death- are intertwined with the ministrations he seeks to give Ramirez as part of their jointly subscribed system of faith”, according to CNN.

According to reports from Associated Press, a federal judge in Houston and the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals have denied Ramirez’s request to stay his execution over the issue. An appeal is pending before the United States Supreme Court.